Friday, March 16, 2012
KISATCHIE NATIONAL FOREST - NO SIGNAL
No verizon signal here at Kisatchie National Forest. Will blog in a few days. Love it here.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
IF A TREE FALLS IN THE FOREST...
We have seen the sun pop out a couple of times today. Didn't look like rain so we took a very long walk this morning. We walked around Loop A, B, C, and D in South Landing Campground and looked at 108 campsites.
While in Loop A, I noticed a couple of fallen trees and thought, "What if?" What if there were a camper in that site? And what if the wind were blowing the other way? Not good.
Xi Shi taking a break.
While in Loop A, I noticed a couple of fallen trees and thought, "What if?" What if there were a camper in that site? And what if the wind were blowing the other way? Not good.
Xi was exhausted when we got back to our campsite.
Bunny Kitty loves her dash.
Caiche prefers the screen door views.
My phone rang today. That's a rare occurence when I'm RVing. It was my friend Pat who said he just wanted to check on me to see how I was doing and if all was going well. He said he felt that something made him feel that I might be having problems. I told him about my water leak coming through an electrical outlet.
"What?"
"It's OK now that it's stopped raining."
He then proceeded to tell me how to fix it once the sun dries the rooftop. I assurred him that I would. He teased me with how nice the weather is on Grand Isle today. I told him I was looking forward to staying a month at the beach when I get back home... at the end of May.
"What?"
"Yes, that is a long time."
It's nice to know that someone is thinking of you and your well being. Thanks Pat, you're a good friend.
Peace Rock number 19.
We're leaving tomorrow.
Monday, March 12, 2012
RAINCOAT WEATHER
Last night the electricity went out about 9:00pm. I wasn't sure if it was my problem or the whole campground so I called the office and was informed that my whole section was out due to a fallen limb in the woods. They did not know when it would be fixed. It was really storming last night.
I got out my battery lanterns and lit the place up. It was pouring rain so I didn't want to go outside to unhook the electrical cord and plug it back into the coach in order to run the generator for the AC and TV so I went to bed. About 11:00 the electricity came back on as I was just about to fall asleep. Spent a little time on the Internet and then returned to bed. Slept till 9:00 this morning. The rain falling on the roof top was just screaming at me to stay in bed and enjoy, so I did.
There was a lull in the downpour so I took the opportunity to walk the dog. Short walk as it started to drizzle. Once back in the camper we had breakfast and I spent some time on the computer. With all this rain there is not much to do but read, whether it be a book or the Internet.
Got bored after lunch and decided to go for a long walk - rain or no rain - to get out of the coach. Put Xi Shi's new little red raincoat on her and got my big umbrella and we headed out. Once we got to the end of our Loop it really started to pour. Neither the umbrella or the raincoat was doing much good in keeping us dry. I spotted a roof top through the trees and headed for it. It was the bath house. Got some paper and dried little Xi Shi's face and head. She was soaked. Waited a while but it didn't let up so we took off for our campsite. Passed by some tenters and hoped they were keeping dry. One young mother with 4 little ones had 2 tents set up and lots of chairs and camping stuff. She's done this before.
On the walk back Xi got the urge and was desperately trying to find just the right spot to "go" but it was so wet that she was having a hard time getting the right smell. I stopped at several grassy areas but they were all under water. "Sorry ole girl... we'll just have to hurry and get back to our nice dry puppy pad in the coach." I finally saw a spot where the water had drained off and took her there. She was done in a minute. Poor little thing. We hurried back to our site and I dried her off and she took a very long nap after all that walking.
I put in a movie and settled in. After the movie I opened the cabinet behind the TV where the DVDs are stored and reached for another one. Pulled it out and it was wet. My heart skipped a beat. That means I have a leak. Oh no... please not a leak. I've just started on my journey and already have a serious problem.
I removed all of the items from inside the cabinet and felt around and looked with my flashlight and found that the wall on the left side showed signs of old leakage. Had never seen that before and don't know if it was there when I purchased the unit or has happened since I bought it. As I inspected the interior and felt for the origin of the leak it led me to the ceiling and the electrical outlet. Yes, there was water dripping from the electrical outlet located on the ceiling of the cabinet. Yikes!!!
My better sense said to turn off all electricity. Not true. My better sense said to get the hell out of there. I could just envision the whole place being lit up with me along with it. Once I stopped these kinds of thoughts, I unplugged the TV and dried the area with a towel. It had stopped raining outside so once dry the outlet no longer leaked.
Went outside and stood up on the picnic table to see what was at that location on my roof. I could see the small round cap that was for the cable and such. So I gathered some items and climbed the ladder and went up on the roof. I dried the area around the little dome and it looked like it was sealed properly but I knew that this was the entry way for water at that location. I have some sealant but it was too wet to apply. I tried duck tape and it didn't stick very well but I kept applying layer after layer and hope that it will work for now. Whenever I get to some sunshine and things dry out I will try sealing with the roof caulking.
The forecast for tomorrow is the same so I guess these 3 days at Chicot will be spent inside reading. Good thing I brought many books and movies. I've recently got on a kick reading the latest book on Bonnie and Clyde called "Go Down Together" which led me to other books about that era - including one written by sister-in-law Blanche called "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde." Also brought along the book "Public Enemies." So by the time I get to north Louisiana I'll be psyched to visit the spot where the infamous couple were ambushed and murdered near Gibsland, Louisiana which is along my planned route.
I got out my battery lanterns and lit the place up. It was pouring rain so I didn't want to go outside to unhook the electrical cord and plug it back into the coach in order to run the generator for the AC and TV so I went to bed. About 11:00 the electricity came back on as I was just about to fall asleep. Spent a little time on the Internet and then returned to bed. Slept till 9:00 this morning. The rain falling on the roof top was just screaming at me to stay in bed and enjoy, so I did.
There was a lull in the downpour so I took the opportunity to walk the dog. Short walk as it started to drizzle. Once back in the camper we had breakfast and I spent some time on the computer. With all this rain there is not much to do but read, whether it be a book or the Internet.
Got bored after lunch and decided to go for a long walk - rain or no rain - to get out of the coach. Put Xi Shi's new little red raincoat on her and got my big umbrella and we headed out. Once we got to the end of our Loop it really started to pour. Neither the umbrella or the raincoat was doing much good in keeping us dry. I spotted a roof top through the trees and headed for it. It was the bath house. Got some paper and dried little Xi Shi's face and head. She was soaked. Waited a while but it didn't let up so we took off for our campsite. Passed by some tenters and hoped they were keeping dry. One young mother with 4 little ones had 2 tents set up and lots of chairs and camping stuff. She's done this before.
May have to get her a larger size.
This is before the downpour.
On the walk back Xi got the urge and was desperately trying to find just the right spot to "go" but it was so wet that she was having a hard time getting the right smell. I stopped at several grassy areas but they were all under water. "Sorry ole girl... we'll just have to hurry and get back to our nice dry puppy pad in the coach." I finally saw a spot where the water had drained off and took her there. She was done in a minute. Poor little thing. We hurried back to our site and I dried her off and she took a very long nap after all that walking.
I put in a movie and settled in. After the movie I opened the cabinet behind the TV where the DVDs are stored and reached for another one. Pulled it out and it was wet. My heart skipped a beat. That means I have a leak. Oh no... please not a leak. I've just started on my journey and already have a serious problem.
I removed all of the items from inside the cabinet and felt around and looked with my flashlight and found that the wall on the left side showed signs of old leakage. Had never seen that before and don't know if it was there when I purchased the unit or has happened since I bought it. As I inspected the interior and felt for the origin of the leak it led me to the ceiling and the electrical outlet. Yes, there was water dripping from the electrical outlet located on the ceiling of the cabinet. Yikes!!!
My better sense said to turn off all electricity. Not true. My better sense said to get the hell out of there. I could just envision the whole place being lit up with me along with it. Once I stopped these kinds of thoughts, I unplugged the TV and dried the area with a towel. It had stopped raining outside so once dry the outlet no longer leaked.
Went outside and stood up on the picnic table to see what was at that location on my roof. I could see the small round cap that was for the cable and such. So I gathered some items and climbed the ladder and went up on the roof. I dried the area around the little dome and it looked like it was sealed properly but I knew that this was the entry way for water at that location. I have some sealant but it was too wet to apply. I tried duck tape and it didn't stick very well but I kept applying layer after layer and hope that it will work for now. Whenever I get to some sunshine and things dry out I will try sealing with the roof caulking.
The forecast for tomorrow is the same so I guess these 3 days at Chicot will be spent inside reading. Good thing I brought many books and movies. I've recently got on a kick reading the latest book on Bonnie and Clyde called "Go Down Together" which led me to other books about that era - including one written by sister-in-law Blanche called "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde." Also brought along the book "Public Enemies." So by the time I get to north Louisiana I'll be psyched to visit the spot where the infamous couple were ambushed and murdered near Gibsland, Louisiana which is along my planned route.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
Circa 1932
Sunday, March 11, 2012
CHICOT STATE PARK - VILLE PLATTE, LA
Left home this morning around 10:30 and arrived at the park around 2:30 this afternoon. It was a pleasant drive and check-in was a breeze as I had a reservation for site #389. However, the ranger who checked me in suggested another site closer to the lake and very near the office, which I took. The other site is 4 miles from where I am. I will ride to that site in the coach when I leave the campground and check it out.
I hooked up and took Xi Shi for a walk near the lake. The weather is not so pleasant and we will have cloudy skies for the next 3 days so my photos are not the best. I noticed that site #74 has a deck and looks out on the lake so I'll say for now... it is the best so far. Site 389 is a pull through and located in the North Loop. Sites 352, 356, and 366 are backin sites along the water in the North Loop.
The electricity went off for a while this evening and I had to go out and flip the breaker on and off to see if I could get my coach up and running again. Once inside I flipped all my breaker switches off and on but nothing happened. I sat there for a minute and then ... lights once again. Don't know if it's the campground or my coach. It's thundering and raining right now so maybe it's the campground's electrical system.
Riding through the little town of Ville Platte, I noticed how quaint it looked and would really like to take my time and visit it again. Maybe on the way back.
My campsite is nice and level with the usual firepit, picnic table, and Bar-B-Q pit. I have a big back yard and lots of space between me and the next campsite. I can see the lake through the trees from the window by the sofa. There are few campers here today. Things are really quiet.
Had Chinese for supper brought from home. There is only one channel coming through on the TV so I'll probably watch a movie. I brought along about 15 DVD movies that I have not yet watched so I have a variety to pick from.
I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow as I would like to ride my bike around my Loop. Rode for a while this afternoon and it is really hard climbing up these little hills. No more flat land from here on up the state, I guess. I had to walk the bike up some inclines then ride a ways then walk it again. Great exercise.
I hooked up and took Xi Shi for a walk near the lake. The weather is not so pleasant and we will have cloudy skies for the next 3 days so my photos are not the best. I noticed that site #74 has a deck and looks out on the lake so I'll say for now... it is the best so far. Site 389 is a pull through and located in the North Loop. Sites 352, 356, and 366 are backin sites along the water in the North Loop.
That pickup truck up the hill is in my favorite spot.
Going down to the lake.
Riding through the little town of Ville Platte, I noticed how quaint it looked and would really like to take my time and visit it again. Maybe on the way back.
My campsite is nice and level with the usual firepit, picnic table, and Bar-B-Q pit. I have a big back yard and lots of space between me and the next campsite. I can see the lake through the trees from the window by the sofa. There are few campers here today. Things are really quiet.
The view of the lake from my campsite.
Had Chinese for supper brought from home. There is only one channel coming through on the TV so I'll probably watch a movie. I brought along about 15 DVD movies that I have not yet watched so I have a variety to pick from.
I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow as I would like to ride my bike around my Loop. Rode for a while this afternoon and it is really hard climbing up these little hills. No more flat land from here on up the state, I guess. I had to walk the bike up some inclines then ride a ways then walk it again. Great exercise.
I'm at the top of a dangerous hill... for bikers that is.
Going up the hill to my campsite.
The campground is divided into 2 sections the North Landing Campground and the South Landing Campground. I'm in the South where there are 4 Loops with 3 Comfort Stations. There is another Comfort Station and the Laundry in the North Landing Campground. This entire campground has 198 campsites.
I've been here before. Way back when I was riding with the HOGS we had a rally here. I didn't stay in the campground but in a hotel in town. I remember the picnic area and day use area was really beautiful with water views. Can't wait to see it again.
* I've added another item to my list of "Why I Live In Louisiana" - check it out at the bottom of the page.
* I've added another item to my list of "Why I Live In Louisiana" - check it out at the bottom of the page.
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