"What's Going On" - Thank you, Marvin Gaye

If you think we've been busy lately, you're right. Me with writing and Stu with a new-to-him motorcycle trailer. He is prepping for his group ride with the Run for the Wall group, leaving from Cookeville on the 22nd, headed to DC and then spending several weeks in Maryland with family. His old partner, who now lives in California, is riding the whole route.

Oh, the trailer. Last year we sold BRAT2, believing we had no need for it since we didn't foresee any long motorcycle trips in our future. Fast forward to now and even though I won't be doing any long trips, Stu still has the itch.

Here is BRAT (Big Red's Attack Trailer):

Here is BRAT2 (ditto #2):

Here is BCAT (Black Cherry's Attack Trailer), as is-where is (when he picked it up):

BCAT now has new tires, new rims, new coupler, repainted frame, new locks, new lights, all new wiring, and spray paint job (for now). He also installed a new trailer hitch on the Tri-Glide (Black Cherry).

Here is Stu working on the final touches:

So I will be a motorcycle widow till the middle of June. At least I have the #2Doods to keep me company (and bark away any intruders - if the sound of our security alarm doesn't do it). LOL!

If you haven't visited my author blog in a while, maybe it's time to check it out. I'm writing a lot of flash fiction (ultra short stories) as well as sharing a few personal tidbits from time to time.

Ciao for now!

More chores done....

Today was cleaning and chore day. While I tore apart my computer and end table area, Stu busied himself putting Sadie's new dog crate together. We've had it for a while but haven't had time to get it set up.

He changed the orientation on the dining table (his computer area) and we moved the file cabinet and my computer desk over to make room. My current end table came out. It has a great storage area in the bottom...I had to find storage spots for everything.

So I concentrated on sorting through stuff. Some went into the tote headed to our storage area. Some went in the trash. Some got relocated. Some went into a box headed for the CARE table at the next Escapees park we stay at (people donate stuff, others put in a donation for CARE if they want it).

The crate fits perfectly and makes a nice roomy end table for me, albeit a bit taller than we thought. It will do Sadie very well for her permanent crate. We just have to wait till she's not peeing her bed at night. LOL!





In addition I did several loads of laundry in the rig and Stu took all our quilts over to the campground laundry. We cleaned out another dozen stink bugs - both dead and alive. LOL! The last thing left is Stu trying to figure out how to take the lamp off the old end table so he can use it on his. There isn't enough room to replace his little end table with my big one.

All in all, a good day's work....

One other thing happened today. I visit several motorcycle forums like Motorcycle Trailer Towing, RVing Riders ~ Riding RVers and Motorcycle Camping. In the Trailer Towing forum a reader put up his gorgeous, used once, diamond-plated motorcycle cargo trailer. The price was right, we have a friend interested in ours...so we are now the proud owners of BRAT2.





The trailer is in Dallas so we still have to figure out how to pick it up...might have to call on some friends. We're excited...we've looked at several websites and we got it for half price...and it's never been used.

Not major plans for tomorrow...supposed to be as cold as today. Sadie did a little "whining" about it. LOL!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Surprises abound!

Well, here's a synopsis of the last couple of days....it was cold the night we spent in Centerville on the way to Dallas area. So cold that the propane "froze" and we ended up without heat (since the generator runs on propane, no electric and needless to say no gas heat). Surprise number one....

We were both up and wide awake by 4:30, did a little computer work and hit the road by 7-ish. First sunrise in a LONG time...LOL! The trip was short and we arrived at the condo and got registered before heading to the dealer in Rockwall (the condo is in Flint, TX). We were about 30 minutes away when we heard a POP. Just as we started to ask each other what that was, the Pressure Pro alarm went off. We had blown a tire. (Thanks again to Mike & Pat McFall for helping us get the system up and running while we were all in Mission. The situation could have ended in a fire if we hadn't realized that it was our tire that blew.)

Stu pulled over off the interstate as much as possible and we got out to look. The tire was off the rim, whole but the rubber was melted where it had been on the rim. Smoke was still coming out...something was hot, VERY hot. Stu pulled out the fire extinguisher (just in case) needed tools, took down the spare, got the rig up on chocks and a bottle jack and pulled off the bad wheel. Seems the wheel bearing froze. Fortunately for us it was the center wheel and we weren't all that far from the dealer and we limped in (without mounting the spare). Surprise number two....

Our dealer had told us to bring the rig in without an appointment since they hadn't been busy. Needless to say since Stu had emailed them.....they had gotten VERY busy, in fact there were 8 rigs scheduled ahead of us before they could even look at KaZy. Surprise number three....

After taking a very thorough look at what we needed done, they promised to try to get it looked at as soon as possible. We tried not to worry about the unexpected cost of a new wheel & tire, new bearing and hopefully nothing more than that (plus getting all the wheel bearings packed). We headed back to Flint and the condo after a side trip to Tyler and dinner at Outback and grocery shopping at Sam's Club & Wal-Mart. We had tried a new beer at Outback, Newcastle Brown Ale, and both liked it. Since we needed both beer & wine, we figured Sam's would be a good stop. Well, after visiting both stores we realized we were in a dry county. Surprise number four....

Tuesday we slept in (after about 15 hours of travel & "surprises" the day before), spent a leisurely morning and then headed off for a one hour tour (i.e. sales pitch) in exchange for $50. The condo complex is a timeshare and we did really like it, just not buying into anything right now, but hey, $50 is $50. After that we did a little sightseeing of the local area in Freddie since it was still pretty cool. We visited an Atwood's Farm & Ranch store and Stu found several things he was looking for, including an electric winch to help load BRAT onto the BRAT rack. We also found the county line liquor stores and stocked up.

Today the weather was gorgeous and we headed out by 9am, off to find a good breakfast spot before doing more sightseeing. Perfect day for riding, and ride we did...from 9am till 7pm. Good meals, nice Harley stop in Longview where we both found hats we liked and I also managed to snag a great western style shirt in Tractor Supply...50% off. Surprise number five....

We were ready for some pie and ice cream but the first diner we hit in Longview had just closed. As we headed back to the bike Stu checked his phone and saw voicemail from McClain's RV. They had a few questions about some of the items on the list but had already talked to KZ about most of the warranty items as well as the fact that the bearings are sealed....no packing to be done. KZ is shipping out a new axle, wheel & tire...under warranty. Phew! Surprise number six...

Of course there is always the other side of the news....it could take up to three weeks to get the new axle! We have to be in Maryland by April first for Stu's daughter's wedding. Surprise number seven....

Tomorrow we find out if we can extend here at the condo for another week. If not then we'll look into something closer to Rockwall (about 90 miles from Flint). But all in all, the good surprises outweighed the bad!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

The "BRAT" Rack

Well, a major hurdle is done. We now have added another 5 feet to our overall length. Yup, the rig is now a total of 59 ft long. Are we nuts or what? LOL! When I said to my late wife, "I like to get a motorcycle" I had no idea where it would lead. We needed a way to carry it...OK, we'll get a toyhauler...that works.... Oops, need a bigger truck....gee, that Freightliner will do it.... How about some longer trips on the bike...OK, let's get a cargo trailer on eBay... Now how the hell we gonna carry that thing? Aha, the "BRAT" rack.



Our collection is complete: FREDDIE the Freightliner, KAZY the toy hauler, BIG RED the trike, BRAT (Big Red's Attack Trailer) and finally the BRAT RACK.

The BRAT rack is a fairly simple affair. A couple of ramps welded to some square tubes that slide into receivers in the rear of KaZy. Some pins and straps and we go down the road. Sounds pretty straight forward. We contacted a local company in nearby Pharr TX, Camco Wheel and Axle. These folks were recommended by 2 other RVers and by Camping World. After an appointment and some brainstorming by yours truly, the owner and his "free" engineer, we decided on a design.



The first day of the installation, we dropped KaZy off in the shop. Donna and I hopped in Freddie and headed off for some breakfast and later a movie. We saw The International, an adventure/drama with plenty of action. Good movie, we enjoyed it. We returned to Camco to check on progress and take KaZy back to Retama Village. The receivers were just about finished and the rack was "tacked" together. We would have to come back on Thursday to complete the project, something we knew was likely. Here are some pics from the early stages of building the BRAT Rack.



While the crew finished the receivers, James (Camco owner) showed us some of his "toys". He has a couple of street rods that were absolutely fantastic. His brother also works on motorcycles. The pictures here don't do them justice. He told me what the original cars were but I sure can't remember all those details. I only know they were beautiful. After some pictures and drooling, we hitched up and returned to base. [see all photos at SmugMug]



On Thursday we were up early and back to Pharr for the completion of the rack and installation of the receivers on Freddie. Of course, as the project had progressed, I added some some things to the list. I had quickly realized that the rack would be a bit heavier than Donna and I could handle easily, so I had them add trailer jacks to 3 points on the rack. This was so I could roll it to the back of KaZy and slide it it the receivers. I also decided to add identical receivers to Freddie. This added some versatility to using the rack with Freddie as well as KaZy.



We dropped KaZy in the yard and backed Freddie in the shop. Donna and I fired up the generator in KaZy, tuned the satellite and settled in for the day. Periodically, I would be summoned for some last minute decisions on details and by late afternoon we were ready for test fitting and final installation. And....oh yeah, gotta pay the bill. LOL!

First time we tried to put the rack on we were met with some fit problems. The tubes would not go in all the way and once in got stuck. Jesus ("worker bee") and I struggled a bit. The tubes needed to ground down and lubed up...then the whole assembly slid in with ease. The ramps were put down and the BRAT rolled into position. Some straps and a few other storage chores and we headed back to Retama village...a few bucks less in the pocket but we were pleased with the end result.



We arrived at the campground, backed in and rolled BRAT off the rack. Easy enough. Next we slid the pins out of the rack and rolled it out of the receivers, stored the straps etc. and set up the rest of the rig. It was beer-thirty, thank you very much. Oh, all the photos are on SmugMug.

Keep rolling...we will...
Stu

Another week closes....

The time flies by but I don't feel there is much of interest to post here. We're still busy running errands and doing general stuff. I had my last dentist visit yesterday so we spent a little more time walking around Progreso and picking up a few things. We found the CUTEST little pink camo boonie hats for Stu's granddaughters, Livie & Jesse. We also found the perfect lightweight jackets for the beach (remember, we're going to Cabo in late April). Of course they feature Corona...we'll fit right in.....LOL!

We had taken our two motorcycle vests in and gotten our patches sewn on...something that was way overdue. Stu will have more to put on his second vest, the one he'll use for Firefighter rides. Stu is a full member of the Red Knights Motorcycle Club and I'm an associate member. Now we'll be covered for all occasions. He also got a patch sewn on the back of a lightweight denim shirt for those warmer riding days. I had picked up a nice used shirt when we were in Kentucky last fall. It's come in handy several times.

In our last 5 weeks here we got boots resoled, we bought new boots, we shopped, we enjoyed meals & drinks, we bought medication, we got dental work, we got patches sewn, we got boots polished....in general, we took advantage of having Mexico close to us and definitely saved money. In this economy, that's what it's all about.

On Tuesday we take the rig to a local place to see what they can fabricate for us so we can carry BRAT on the back of the RV. That should be interesting and I'll try to capture some photos when we are there...but don't plan on spending the entire day there waiting. LOL! There will be a second visit but we don't know which day that will be. On Saturday we head to Dallas. Monday morning the rig will get left at a local dealer for warranty work while we move to a rented condo for a week (gotta love these $199 specials that Stu digs up).

Once the rig is ready, we're on the road back to Maryland. We hope to be there by March 14th at the latest. Stu's youngest daughter is getting married on April 4th and there is a lot to do before then. The following weekend his best friend is getting married as well (and we did pick up a "special" wedding gift while in Mexico). We'll be house & pet sitting for the week in between.

The LATEST news is that we got tickets and campground reservations of Nashville's Fan Fest (now known as CMA Music Fest). We are so excited! We've both wanted to do this for years and it plays into our plans quite well. Watch for updates as we get more information... Oh, and we'll be staying at the Nashville Country RV Park.

Well, off to do some more de-oozing in preparation for moving the rig on Tuesday....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

Up, up and away!

Yesterday we attended the Kite Fest at South Padre Island, TX. It was an overcast day, cool but comfortable. We took back roads to get there, over 2 hour ride, and the highway to come back, maybe 90 minutes. There was plenty of parking and we saw lots of other motorcyclists as well as RVers. It was a fun event but if we ever go back we'll bring chairs & a cooler with drinks. Many were even cooking, tailgate style. I took a bunch of photos and even tried the video on my camera...first time!



This couple was working their tails off controlling the two huge, sweeping kites doing aerobatics. Love it (and you can see the kites perform in the video section.)


Everything is uploaded to SmugMug, including the videos. Most of the videos are short...due to download lagging I recommend viewing it twice to get the full effect. I wish I could have put them all together in one but my camera shoots .mov and Windows Movie Maker can't read that. I tried downloading several pieces of software to convert them to .avi and all I got was beautiful kaleidoscopes....LOL! Oh well... This is the first and shortest one...watch the lobster claws. (Click the picture below...takes you to Smug Mug...run video from there)



We took a ride to both ends of the island and then ate lunch/dinner at the Padre Island Brewery & Restaurant. The next blog will talk about that.... The final touch was Blue Bell sugar free butter pecan ice cream at a funky little tourist shop in Port Isabel.



All in all a great day, about 250 miles and lots of smiles!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu