and just enjoyed each other’s company until it was time to call it a night. The brats were excellent by the way.
Thursday was more of the same… we hung out in the evening with Jim & Sally outside their Coach. Jim & Sally are heading out in the morning so this would be our last evening with them. We expect to see them again in Quartzsite, AZ at the Alpine Coach “Desert Rat Rally” in early January. But, you never know, we might cross paths before then 🙂
Sally made a nice stew for us. We talked for a while and then said our farewells and ‘see-ya-laters’. Til next time Jim & Sally…
And guess who’s back in town?!? Ricky & Cathy Broussard stopped by! They just rolled back into Colorado Springs and saw us in the Elks Lodge parking lot. I guess you could say; one Alpine rolls-out and another rolls-in. Except, Ricky & Cathy aren’t staying at the lodge, they are going to their usual spot in an RV park just around the corner. But they’ll come over to the lodge as their busy schedule permits and I’m sure I’ll be posting more pictures soon 🙂
In other news – My brother Steve and his long-time girlfriend Cheryl just sent us a picture today of their new (to them) Class C. They’re in Casa Grande, AZ where we like to spend some of the winter months. I’ve written many posts from their place which they affectionately call “the dirt farm“. You can do a search on this blog by typing in “dirt farm” to see more, or click on the link. Maybe some family RV trips are in our future? 🙂
No, not us this time, but I did help Jim & Sally do some battery maintenance and then I helped my Dad & Stepmom (Elaine) pick up a new car. Read on to hear more…
Here’s Jim & Sally’s Alpine Coach parked in the “overflow” area of the Elks Lodge 309 parking lot:
I wrote about Jim & Sally in a previous post (click Here). Jim has had some issues lately with his ~5 year-old batteries. Some of the battery posts have worked themselves loose over time due to (possible) manufacturer defect and excessive heat.
Jim pulled his batteries out while I employed my awesome supervisory skills honed through years of military service. I made sure nothing sparked and ensured we had a fire extinguisher handy 🙂
His Coach, (a 1999 Alpine), has eight ‘house’ and two ‘chassis’ batteries, just like my 2005. Although, Jim has installed an array of solar panels on top of his Coach, while I only have the original (two) 50 Watt panels.
Jim’s battery bay (three batteries already removed)
It may be hard to see in this picture (below), but the old battery post appeared to be a bolt (turned upside-down) and embedded in the lead which simply pulled out after years of use. It sure doesn’t seem (to me) that it’s a very good method of manufacture. All the batteries I’ve dealt with in the past had solid (poured) lead posts.
Original battery post (on the right) fell out.
In this picture (below), you can see the original battery post on the right. It’s loose and it wiggles around, which isn’t good for a battery post. This creates high resistance and reduces the batteries ability to conduct electricity efficiently. The hole on the left-side of the picture (below) was drilled by Jim in order to use a self-tapping screw to secure the battery cables since the original post is loose and therefore unusable.
And here’s how Jim did it:
Here, he is cleaning up the area with a wire brush on his drill to prep for drilling. Again, I supervised and kept a fire extinguisher handy 🙂
And here’s Jim drilling into the lead so he could ‘sink’ a new self-tapping screw to replace the old ‘post’.
After fixing two of his batteries with this ‘modification’… Jim started the task of putting all the batteries back in the bay.
And here ya go! All back in place, hooked up, and working again:)
That took most of Tuesday morning – but, Great job Jim! Now, start budgeting for new batteries instead of doing this again, eh?
After finishing up the battery maintenance with Jim, my Dad and stepmom Elaine stopped by the Elks Lodge to pick me up. I offered to chauffeur them to an auto dealership (Hoo Motors in Kiowa, CO) where they found a new (to them) car over the weekend.
They attended a Labor Day weekend campout with the FCRV “Rolling Springs” group in the Kiowa area and had stopped by the dealership to “just look-around”. They found a really nice 2013 VW Passat TDI with low mileage.
They’ve been looking to trade in their Toyota Camry before it got too old and started to have maintenance issues. It’s been good to them over the years, but they wanted something newer. They’ve been known to go on long road-trips and certainly don’t want any break-downs to be in their future.
Here’s the old Toyota that they traded in.
And here’s the new (to them) 2013 VW Passat TDI.
Side-by-side comparison:
The Passat is a really nice car… I told them they should have bought two 🙂 The interior reminded me very much of our old 2004 E320 Mercedes which I guess isn’t unusual since they’re both German cars with (probably) the same design engineers. It was fun to drive too! I chauffeured them back to the Elks Lodge where we enjoyed (once-again) “Taco Tuesday” with all our friends 🙂
“Taco Tuesday” at Elks 309 with (L to R) Biff, my Dad, Linda, Marilyn, Jerry, Stilla, and Elaine.
After tacos and drinks, we all went outside to check out Dad’s (or should I say?) – Elaine’s new car. After everyone was properly impressed… we said our farewell’s to Dad/Elaine and Biff/Linda.
The rest of us; Jerry/Marilyn and Jim/Sally went back to the lodge to enjoy some more adult beverages and later on we finished up the evening outside Jerry/Marilyn’s Coach.
(L to R) Marilyn, David, Jerry, and Jim.
Good times with good people… and another awesome Colorado sunset completed the day!
On Labor Day Monday we joined our new friends Jerry & Marilyn for an awesome day of riding. We met Jerry & Marilyn here at the Elks Lodge in COS only last week and we already consider them “best-friends” that we hope to be associated with for many, many years to come. It never ceases to amaze me how many great people we get to meet our full-timing adventure.
Here’s some pictures from our motorcycle tour around Colorado Springs, Manitou, and Woodland Park:
David & Stilla riding up the pass (I-24 to Woodland Park) [picture taken by Marilyn]Jerry & Marilyn in Colorado Springs.Jerry & Marilyn in Manitou, CO.
(L to R) Stilla, David, Jerry, and Marilyn at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center in COS, CO.(L to R) Jerry, Marilyn, Stilla, and myself at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center in COS, CO.Jerry trying on a new look at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center in COS, CO.(L to R) Jerry, Marilyn, and Stilla at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in COS, CO.(L to R) Stilla, Jerry, Stilla, and Marilyn at the BierWerks in Woodland Park, CO.
After a full day of riding – we made it back to the Elks Lodge just in time… it started raining as we pulled into the parking lot. What a great day!
Check back in for my next post which includes the always enjoyable subject-matter of battery maintenance; a new car; and the ever-popular Taco Tuesday.
Happy Labor Day everyone! Stilla and I finished up our ‘labor’ before the big party at the Elks Lodge 309. We completed our self-imposed project of sanding and painting all the lawn furniture that was previously green.
‘before’ pic of a table‘after’ pic of some tables we painted
Some other folks here at the lodge, also got the ‘bug’ and cleaned the pool partitions while we finished up our painting. There’s a lot of nice people here at the lodge living the Elks motto; “Elks Care, Elks Share”.
Biff stopped by again to repair an electrical outlet that was about to fall off the wall.
You may remember Biff from my previous post when he was fixing and painting some of the old wooden picnic tables.
In other news – Our next-door neighbor (Barney) here at the RV park had to put his little dog to sleep on Friday. I think Barney told me he was either 16 or 18 years old. He was blind and deaf. Here’s one last photo in memory of “Noah”. Rest-in-Peace little guy…
We enjoyed the pool some more on Saturday with the grandson who comes by pretty often. Somehow, his X-Box playstation ended up in our bedroom again recently hooked up to the TV. At least he didn’t glue himself to it and got out in the pool most of the day.
And on Saturday we had a little impromptu BBQ in the Elks backyard with our new friends; Jerry & Marilyn from Oklahoma. Good food with good people!
Jerry and I went on a short motorcycle ride together Sunday morning before the Elks Lodge Labor Day BBQ kicked off. Jerry hauls his 2003 Heritage Softail around in his Ford Ranger pickup, pulled by his motorhome when they’re traveling.
We stopped by my old high school buddy’s shop to try to get him to join us for a ride, but he was taking part in a ‘poker-run’. His shop was one of the stops for “Bikers United for America 9/11 Remembrance Run“. We hung out for a bit and then toured Manitou before returning to the lodge for the day’s activities.
My best friend and old Manitou High School buddy, Mike Harris in front of his automotive repair shop.
Back at the Lodge, the band had started up and the BBQ was in full-swing…
And then we ran into Alpine Coach owners, Jim & Sally! They just came down from the Westminster Elks Lodge in Denver. I wrote about our last visit with them in my post HERE.
It was a great evening with new and old friends… here’s Jim and Stilla getting a little dance on…
Our oldest daughter Jennifer and her son Kaan enjoyed the pool…
We hung out with Jerry & Marilyn and Jim & Sally for the rest of the evening. Jerry & Marilyn even had some friends from Westcliffe stop by for a quick visit. It was nice to meet them too.
A friend of Jim & Sally also joined us briefly. It’s a small RV world out there.
(L to R) David, Ted, and Sally.(L to R) Marilyn, Jerry, and Jim.Jerry & Marilyn dancing by the pool.(L to R) Stilla, David, Sally, Jim, Marilyn, and Jerry.
And another great evening in Colorado comes to a close…
Little Coach says, C U later 🙂
This morning (Monday) we plan on getting in some riding on the motorcycle with new friends Jerry & Marilyn. Check back in for a full recap…
More of the same around here… we continue to help out around the lodge. As a matter-of-fact, our friend Biff stopped by yesterday to join in on the fun.
Biff fixed and painted a few of the picnic tables while Stilla and I continued sanding and painting the metal lawn furniture. You may remember Biff from many of our recent blog post pictures; Biff & Linda are good friends with my Dad and stepmom Elaine and are also members of the FCRV group that we attend campouts with. He is also a long-time Elks Lodge 309 member and originally sponsored my membership here.
Biff fixing picnic tables at Elks Lodge 309.Biff fixing picnic tables at Elks Lodge 309.Biff prepping one of the picnic tables for a fresh coat of paint.Biff painting one of three wooden picnic tables at Elks Lodge 309.
And here’s the finished product… like new again and ready for some more fun Elks Lodge activities. Great job Biff!
Here’s a ‘before’ picture of one of the metal chairs we’ve been painting…
And here’s an ‘after’ pic of Wednesday’s progress…
Only a dozen or so tables left to paint… we finished up all the chairs 🙂
Afterwards, we had the pool all to ourselves…
We topped off the evening with new friends, Jerry and Marilyn. They parked their RV here at the lodge a couple days ago and plan to stay for a couple weeks. They got us very interested in visiting Port Aransas near Corpus Christi, TX in the near future. We’ll see…
Jerry & Marilyn; our new friends here at Elks Lodge 309.
We look forward to spending more ‘quality’ time with Jerry & Marilyn during their stay here 🙂
In other news: We got little dog ‘Coach’ into the vet last week. We chose Banfield Pet Hospital because they are located throughout the country in PetSmart stores. This will make it easier in our future travels to get him shots, check-ups, etc., since every PetSmart™ will now have his medical history. He got all his shots current and the vet gave him a clean bill of health. The vet thinks his seizure-like episodes may be due to a restricted trachea and we need to watch his weight. In order to determine anything more, we’d have to order x-rays and ultrasounds. He hasn’t had any new episodes since the 4th of August which I wrote about (Here). He has thrown up once or twice since then, but he seems to be able to get air and recovers quickly. We continue to watch his diet but sometimes he’ll grab something from the ground or grass when we’re not watching. Hopefully, he doesn’t get ahold of a poisonous mushroom or something like that.
Little ‘Coach’ watching us paint lawn furniture from his plastic throne.
We have a follow-up appointment in three weeks for little Coach and also some doctor appointments for us that will keep us here until the 20th of October. So stay tuned…
Once again, it’s been a while since my last post. We’re still just hanging out at the Elks Lodge in COS enjoying time with friends and family. It’s not easy to come up with interesting things to write about when we’re parked in one place for so long.
Yesterday (30 August) was also the one year anniversary of this blog! We had already been full-timing in the Coach for a few months before I started writing the blog. Click (HERE) to see the 1st post. It took a while for me to get familiar with all the nuances of the blogging software once I decided to get started. It’s been a great year, except for the part where we had to come back to kick the renters out of the house, fix it up, and then sell it. We’re looking forward to what this next year brings…
Anyway – in recent news: We continue to enjoy the many amenities here at the Lodge which includes the ever-popular “Taco Tuesday”. Here we are again with my Dad and stepmom Elaine. Dad has recovered quite well from his recent surgery.
Dad & Elaine at the Elks Lodge “Taco Tuesday”
We also continue to help out around the pool on occasion when the camp-host/club manager needs an extra hand.
And we even took on the task of re-painting some of the patio furniture:
It feels good to give back and pretty soon we’ll have all the old, faded green chairs and tables re-painted a nice semi-gloss black.
On Saturday evening we were invited to join some friends for a party at their beautiful house in Monument. We’ve known Rick & Claudia for a number of years. Rick is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major (CSM).
After an awesome BBQ dinner, the guys hung out with some cigars and watched the Broncos win a pre-season game.
The girls hung out around the desserts and talked German with each other.
Later on Rick fired up the fire pit and we pretended we were camping 🙂
Thanks for the good times Rick and Claudia! Maybe we can return the hospitality sometime.
In other news: I also finished up the entertainment center/electronics cabinet project I mentioned in a previous post. Here are the ‘before’ pics:
Entertainment Center (Drivers side) rats-nestEntertainment Center (Drivers side) rats-nest
And here’s the ‘after’ pic:
Drivers side Entertainment Center & Electronics Cabinet rats-nest somewhat cleaned up
It didn’t turn out too bad… I’d have to cut a new front panel to make it any better. The cabinet was designed around the old components which have been changed out over the years, so the cut-outs aren’t quite the right size. The old surround-sound system (at the top) was much larger than the new one, and the satellite dish controller (lower left) is much, much smaller now.
This is the passenger side. I didn’t do anything to this side except add a USB fan on the side of the DirecTV DVR to help keep it cool.
Passenger-side Entertainment Center & Electronics Cabinet
And that’s all for now. Check back later to see what we’re up to…
We’re still stationary at the Elks Lodge here in Colorado Springs, just taking it day-by-day. It’s kind of nice being in one place for a month (we got here on 6 August) because we’re saving money on fuel and campground costs. This is especially good, (saving money, I mean), since we had to buy new tires for the Silverado recently. I posted about that HERE. Plus – Stilla really enjoys being near the daughters and grandson. But – I’m starting to get the ‘hitch-itch’ and hope to start heading south in early October. We’ll see…
Meanwhile, we’ve just been taking advantage of our time here to get together with friends and family as opportunities present themselves. And we continue to take advantage of the reasonably-priced meals here at the Elks Lodge but you’re probably tired of hearing about Taco Tuesday, Friday Dinners, and Sunday Brunch.
Speaking of the Elks Lodge – Several times now, I’ve helped to set-up or move tables/chairs for some of the ever-changing events and activities that take place here. I often join the former camp-host here for morning coffee in the lodge and one thing leads to another… A couple days ago, I even helped clean the pool which had been neglected for a few days. Stilla joined-in and we vacuumed the bottom of the pool after the camp host set up the cleaning apparatus. It feels good to volunteer our (valuable?) time and help out. 🙂
The only other “news-worthy” thing I can think about to report on here lately; was joining my old Army buddy Tim for a visit to a local gun show event (no pics allowed) that we followed up with a short ride over to Pikes Peak Harley Davidson for their weekend open-house and free grill.
Tim always seems to be looking for that “next great deal” and talked with the salesman about trade-in value on one of his bikes. Yes, he has more than one…
Tim used the ‘tailor in a trailer’ to get a little sewing done on his vest while we were here.
We didn’t take advantage of the bikini-bike-wash and parted ways again before the afternoon wind picked up. See you later, Tim!
In other news – my Dad has recovered well from his surgery to remove skin cancer from his nose. We’re thankful for the positive outcome. My Dad and stepmom joined us for Friday’s dinner and Sunday Brunch here at the lodge.
And that’s about it for now… oh yea – I did a little work on one of the cabinets at the front of the Coach to minimize the “rats-nest” of cables in the entertainment center. I’ll post some ‘before & after’ pics later. Check back soon…
Once again, it’s been a few days since my last post. After driving on Pikes Peak and attending Margaritaville at the Elks Lodge on Saturday (see last post) we just ended up hanging around the Coach and relaxing on Sunday. It was a rather gloomy day with frequent rain showers; which ruined my original plan to ride the Harley up to Cripple Creek for the 23rd Annual Salute to American Veterans Rally & 28th Annual POW/MIA Recognition Ride.
However, we did get invited to dinner Sunday evening by my Dad & stepmom Elaine. It was their 34th wedding anniversary and also the first time that my dad’s been out of the house since his surgery. We enjoyed a great dinner and evening together at Texas Roadhouse. Happy Anniversary and Thanks for dinner Dad & Elaine!
On Monday, I took my youngest daughter’s car over to my high school buddy’s shop (Chuck’s Auto) for some long-overdue maintenance and repairs.
Her car got a complete check up, along with new shocks, front brakes/rotors, new tie-rod and an alignment.
Joleen’s old blown out front shock.Joleen’s old front rotor and what’s left of the brake pads.
Here’s my buddy Mike inspecting the rear brakes.
And replacing the front shocks/struts.
Due to delays getting the needed parts, I hung out with my buddy Mike for two days (Monday & Tuesday) and helped out with things at the shop. It turns out that it’s not so easy (or cheap) to get replacement parts for an Infiniti.
After 2 days of working on the daughter’s car, it was time for some relaxation at the Elks Lodge. We joined friends for “Taco Tuesday”.
Friends Daniel & Monika brought along their two-month old granddaughter. They had custody for a few hours and showed her off. What a cutie! They even hung out with us in the Coach for a little while after we finished our tacos.
Friend and fellow FCRV member Bob McCord also joined us. Tuesday night was also Bob’s initiation ceremony here at the lodge.
Monika and her granddaughter Dezlynn. Hopefully, I got the spelling right.
And that’s all for now folks. Here’s a shot of little Coach on the lookout for rabbits this morning near the pool at the lodge. He knows they hang out under the shed and sometimes he forgets to “go potty” and hunts the rabbits instead… as-if he could ever catch one 🙂
After I finished my early morning blog post yesterday (Saturday), I drove over to the start point for the Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon in Manitou Springs. I mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve volunteered to drive one of these vans many times in past-years.
The volunteer drivers met up at a table on the corner of Manitou Avenue and El Paso Blvd, right next to the old Cog Railway train display. Click HERE for more info on this 1890’s train from www.rgusrail.com.
I was assigned to van #2. I picked up the keys, a gas card, and a box lunch, courtesy of Subway®. It was a little after 5 AM when we loaded up the first vans with race volunteers/officials and we headed up to the top of Pikes Peak. After passing through the toll gate; where you usually have to pay $12 per person or $40 per carload, it is 19 miles to the top.
Once at the top of Pikes Peak, we lined up the vans alongside the summit road and waited for the first runners. Click HERE to see more on the drive up Pikes Peak.
We set up cones and tape to help direct the runners to loading zones. There would be two loading zones, one for shuttling people to Glen Cove and the other for Devil’s Playground. These are the two designated areas that the vans would shuttle runners to and from. Devil’s Playground is primarily a parking area where many of the runners with friends and/or family could park their cars, and Glen Cove is where the runners can board a bus for a return trip to Manitou Springs. The volunteers also set up a nice tent with refreshments for the runners at Glen Cove while they waited for the bus.
Rear view of the Summit House at the top of Pikes Peak.
Here’s a few pictures from the summit just after sunrise:
The battery in my iPhone went dead so there are no more pictures during the day. Yes, I know you’re disappointed 🙁 I even brought along a charger with a USB connector but my van didn’t have a connection.
The weather was great all morning and I probably made about 7 ‘runs’ once the runners started getting to the top. I made about 3 trips to Devil’s Playground and 4 to Glen Cove. As in years past – it was great fun… and when else can you take multiple trips up (and down) “America’s Mountain” for free? It was also interesting to hear all the stories from the runners about their trials and tribulations during the ascent. Some runners even encountered mountain goats on the trail. The general consensus I heard from the runners was that this was a good year weather-wise, and the officials did a good job of staggering the start times so that the waves of runners didn’t bottle-neck as in years past.
After we got back down about 3 PM, I gassed up the van and drove over to the rental agency (InterMountain Coach) to help shuttle the other volunteer drivers back to the parking area in Manitou after they dropped off their vans. My van (#2) would be used again on Sunday for the Marathon so I didn’t have to drop it off. I did a quick-charge on my phone while I waited at the rental agency and snapped a picture of the trip odometer. I did 115 miles for the day!
If you’d like to volunteer to help out in future race events, contact a volunteer coordinator at this link here. Or just email Jeremy Jost @ jostjc77@yahoo.com
Remember, it’s not just for the free t-shirt – but the experience!
I turned down the free dinner that was offered for the volunteer drivers and headed on back to the Elks Lodge for “Margaritaville Night”. Stilla and I had already paid in advance for the buffet style dinner of pulled-pork and BBQ chicken. This is an annual charity event held here at Elks Lodge 309. This year, the fund-raising event is to help out an 8 month-old child that is battling cancer.
We met up with friends and fellow FCRV members Biff & Linda. They saved us a good table out on the grass near the pool.
The food and entertainment was great, but a quick rain-shower passed through that made us take our meals inside for a short time. It cleared up quickly and we were soon back at our table. Biff & Linda headed home after the silent auction results were posted; but of course, we only have to walk out the back gate to the pool to be back at our house 🙂 So we stayed on as the party continued into the late evening with lots of dancing and entertainment. There were even a few people that jumped, or otherwise – somehow ended up in the pool 🙂
Another good day! Check back to see what we’re up to next…
This is a very early morning post to fill you in on Friday’s activities. It’s now 2:30 in the morning on Saturday and since I volunteered to drive a van to pick up runners at the top of Pikes Peak for the 60th Annual Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon, I have to be at the starting line by 5 AM. I went to bed early – which apparently was a mistake since I’m up already and ready to go… so I thought I’d get this post done.
After picking up the Harley from Mike’s shop, aka “Chuck’s Auto” that I left there on Thursday after the flat tire incident, (link HERE for that post), I rode over to Manitou Springs.
Stilla stayed at the lodge to spend the day at the pool with our two daughters and grandson.
I met up with about a dozen other volunteer drivers in the parking lot behind the Moroccan Restaurant next to Memorial Park in Manitou Springs to pick up passenger vans from the local rental agencies.
It took several trips back and forth from a few different rental agencies in town, but we ended up shuttling in over 40 passenger vans.
We packed all the vans tightly into the small area of the parking lot allotted for our use.
I’ll be back here before 5 AM (on Saturday) to pick up one of these vans to drive up Pikes Peak so we can shuttle the runners back down from the top after they finish their run.
We finished getting all the passenger vans by 3 PM so I wandered the tents that had been set up in Memorial Park. This is the runner registration area, and vendors (for running-related stuff) had also set up shop under the tents to peddle their wares. There was also a beer tent set up with tables, but unfortunately it wasn’t open yet 🙁
There was a spaghetti dinner scheduled for later on in the evening here that I could have attended, but I already had plans to meet Stilla and others back at the Elks Lodge for Pizza.
I took a ‘short-cut’ through Garden of the Gods to get back to the Elks Lodge in time for the Friday Night Pizza.
It’s always nice to ride through scenic Garden of the Gods and since I grew up here it always seems like a trip down memory lane.
When I was a kid living down the street on Beckers Lane from the Garden of the Gods Trading Post; I remember the owner’s wife (Mrs. Straussenback) would take me and my brothers into the trading post for treats. They used to have a little glass-enclosed case with the mummy of an Indian child inside that always fascinated me. It’s long gone now.
I rode through the balanced rock area of the Garden of the Gods. (Don’t forget to click on the links in green-font to see more) We used to walk here from the house as kids and play on the rocks. There used to be steps and a guardrail so you could go on top of the rock in the middle of the road back then.
The “Kissing Camels” rock formation as seen from a distance.
When I got back to the Lodge it was Pizza time. It was also initiation night for our friend Bob McCord. Bob & Mary are also in the same camping group (FCRVRolling Springs) with my Dad and stepmom Elaine. You may remember them from previous posts. Bob finally joined up with the Elks so he can take advantage of the RV parking at Lodges across the country, like we do.
Bob & Mary McCord at Elks Lodge 309 on his initiation night.(L to R) Stilla, Linda, and Biff at Elks Lodge 309 Pizza night.
OK, that’s all for now… gotta run and pick up my van to drive up Pikes Peak. Check back later for a recap of the Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon.
