Dang RV

No Name City and Deadwood, SD

By Katrina Kane, on June 18th, 2007

Due to issues with Internet access at the Rush No More Campground, I had to move nearby to the No Name City RV Park. The issues are unique to me and my work over the internet so don’t let that put you off Rush No More by any means. They use satellite internet which blocks a port I need for communication. VPN would also not work well with it. Most folks would not have an issue with it and they were very nice and understanding about me needing to leave early. They tried to make it work for me.

I looked all around for Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin at No Name City but couldn’t find them. (Paint Your Wagons movie). 😉 Nice park with wireless internet powered by a T1 line. It has a pool and both outdoor and indoor hot tubs. Level sites with all the amenities and great private bathrooms and showers. Cabins are available to rent. It is quite close to the freeway though if that bothers you.

I went to Deadwood Saturday for Wild Bill Hickok Days. The drive there from Sturgis is lovely and easy through the hills. Riding the trolley all around town was fun and worth the buck for the tour. The street music was excellent with a nice mix for everyone. The stores were interesting and I even saw hats to buy for the Flinstones’ Loyal Order of the Water Buffalo. I think the store that catered to movie memorabilia was my favorite.

For dinner, I hit up the Four Aces buffet for prime rib. If you like crab, there was plenty of that too.

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South Dakota or Bust

By Katrina Kane, on June 11th, 2007

After a month in Osburn, Idaho, it was time to hit the road again. Pulled out Saturday, June 9th.

New backup camera worked very very well to hitch up. Definitely would be easier if the front of the trailer hitch wasn’t black so I will be painting or taping it yellow. Lining up dead on center sure was easy though.

New cat travel area in my GMC Yukon worked quite well with hanging see-through security curtain to keep her out of the front area. She was free to roam and had water, food, and a litter box which she did use. That area also has it’s own air conditioning zone and controls. She enjoyed looking out the windows. Of course, she still chose to whine quite a bit but I noticed she took naps during the long drive as well this time which was nice for me. She did not try to breech the curtain so I think this is going to work for the long haul.

We hit tons of contruction going on just over the Idaho-Montana border. Several different zones of it for miles which kept narrowing down the road and shoving us over onto the other side of the highway while they worked on ours. Still the drive through Montana was quite lovely. The curves near the border were a little rough with the trailer not quite tracking behind the car but once we got out on the flat straights, maintaining 65mph was easy with no sway and cruise control.

I crossed the Continental Divide a huge sign on top of a mountain announced. Woohoo! That made me glow. My Yukon seemed to be pretty proud of itself too.

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More Changes

By Katrina Kane, on June 4th, 2007

Another weekend off and time for more changes before I hit the road again soon. 😉

I got the remote to activate the door locks and horn for my new SUV. I hadn’t thought I would need it but there are no keylocks on the passenger doors so I was having to open the front doors to unlock those doors which was getting a bit annoying. I’m definitely enjoying it.

My son has added a backup camera by VR-3.com that I bought at Walmart for the rear of the SUV. The new vehicle has cargo doors in the rear which now block my view of my hitching rods unless I leave both rear doors open. Not too crazy about leaving the doors open so I now have a very sharp color camera that shows me a great shot of my hitch and everything else while backing. It might also save some fool at the shopping center if they walk behind me while backing and I can safely back quite close to other objects now if needed. Installation was not difficult since the camera (installed on the license plate) and 2.5 inch monitor (velcroed on the dash and using 12V outlet) communicate wirelessly.

I have changed the old style screen door handle out to a modern one. The old style looks like a hook and you pull it to the side to get in and out. This seems to cause a great deal of confusion for my visitors and I’m tired of having to teach them how to use it. The new style is a normal handle you push down on.

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Awning Fun

By Katrina Kane, on June 4th, 2007

I have had this travel trailer for over a year now and have never actually seen the awning that came with it until the other day when I asked a couple of nice guys next door to come see what they could do with it. I wasn’t sure if I was doing something wrong to pull it out or if it was stuck. It turned out to be the latter. We hit it with some WD40 and they yanked on it until it finally succuumbed to our will. Woohoo! It is beautiful and quite large, about 20-22 feet long. It is in great condition with no tears or visible holes. I am one happy camper now.

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