Monday, June 19, 2017

Our definition of out of kilter is today was not quite right and  we were a little off.  Not a “normal” day for us. Typically things are pretty smooth. Today was weird and disjointed, so this is a long post, it is my therapy for today, I apologize in advance.

Today is move day. No sweat. We started  the morning by packing up the RV and driving  to the dump station to deposit our waste “liquids”.  Before dumping, I figure to save time, we needed about 50 gallons of fresh water in the holding tank for the next few days, so I  connected the fresh water hose to the RV.   (For those RVers out there, they had a potable water spigot  10 feet away from the non-potable water spigot at the dump station, very weird.)  No, I know what you’re thinking, I used the correct water hose…..

Then I connected the waste hose, and neither gray tank would drain. I got to looking  and  I thought the cables had broke off the drain valves. After further investigation I noticed the concrete pad we were sitting on was angled downhill and  and inclined to the right.  Opposite of what is needed to drain this stuff. So I used the hyd jacks to tilt the RV, and that was the trick. The gray water started draining. What should be easy, not so much.

Ann Marie was inside the RV checking the fresh water gauge so we don’t overfill the tank, and she said it was still at 6%. “That can’t be right ” I said, yep, I forgot to turn the fresh water tank valve to “fill”. So much for that head start.

We begin our 29 mile drive on the Park Road to our new campground, Tek.  Along the road we are looking for wildlife when we looked to our left,  and saw Denali !! I pulled over and started taking pictures, when other car came by and asked  “what are you looking at”? We felt like “Pros”, folks “asking us”….

Look over there dummy, that is Denali. Of course we were those “dummies” a couple of days ago…….not so much now…..

Arrived at the Ranger Checkpoint at Savage River, and the Ranger immediately started shaking his head form side-to-side. He proceeded to tell us our RV was too long to travel the road and we must turn around. He apologized, as he knew the Park reservation folks screwed up.  But this was the END of the road for us in Denali…….

So he told us turn right past the checkpoint,  go to the end of the road,  and  turn around. So I turn, and there is a big bus there, not moving. So much for making an easy u turn.

So, Ann Marie gets into action, hops out of the truck, and I back the RV up about 100 feet, turning a sharp left onto the main road, which has no shoulders…. Ok, we nailed it, Park Ranger said he was impressed. Well I’m glad, because we are ticked off, as we just lost 4 nights in Denali. So much for that advanced reservation.

As we drive about 5 miles towards the “WAC” to get a refund, we see some cars pulled over, yep a big bull moose, eating his way through the fields. He had the largest antlers we have seen so far. Ok, well cool. Not all is lost, we have seen Denali again, saw a moose. Lets get our $$ back and leave Denali for Anchorage. We are done, so much for this place.

We continue driving and then there is another gaggle of cars pulled over. This we are looking at a female moose eating her way through a pond. Ok, well, cool. So much for leaving, Denali as more to offer.

We arrived at the WAC and got our $$ back, and we drove away from the National Park, never to see Denali again. So much for 8 days here.

Heading south towards Anchorage, the Parks Hwy was very rough with some rib rattlers. Max speed was 50mph for the next 2 hours, when we saw a pullout over looking a bend in the Nenana River.

We pulled off for a routine lunch, and we forgot to pull the bread out from the cabinet, which is now inaccessible becasue the wall slide is in.  So much for routine.  I had to open the the kitchen slide of the RV  so Ann Marie could make the sandwiches.  I set up the folding chairs on the bank overlooking the river  and enjoyed the views, while we ate our lunch. Closed the RV up and departed.

 

 

 

We keep heading south, not sure were we will stop for the night, when we came upon a Veterans Memorial State Park, lets stop. We do, the sun is shining, it feels great, we walk around looking at the military monuments dedicated to our war heroes, when we looked north over the trees, and guess what, Denali ! Holy cow, what a view. So  much for leaving Denali !

 

This place had a nice vibe to it, so we decided to stay here at their campgrounds for the night. We drive down this extremely pot holed, very rutted dirt road, and our RV is bottoming out in the deep ruts. I took the first loop around the campground, and did not see any sites large enough for us. So I said the hell with it, we will pay our $15 at the “Iron Ranger” (a metal lockbox on a post with envelopes to pay your fee) to park in their “overflow” lot. So much for the nice vibe.

We parked and  I went for a walk and Ann Marie sat in the truck and read her kindle. I saw a Ranger and he told of a new campground just 10 miles down the road. It just opened on Memorial Weekend and it was empty. I thanked him, and told we would just stay here. I took a few more pictures of Denali, because she is  apparently following me.

We started setting up the RV, however, the parking lot was so uneven, I could not get the rig to level while still being hooked up to the truck. It ticked me off, so I said, “let’s go”. So much for that vibe..

There is a “new” campground 10 miles down the road.  I figured we would get a credit for our money there.  Get 10 miles down the Parks Hwy, see the campground sign pointing to the left, I turn, one “street” to soon. Ended up on a gravel road to no where.

So, Ann Marie jumps into  action, hops out of the truck, as I back up, well this time, there is a ditch on one side and a hill on the other, I had to put it in 4WD to backup and get the hell out of there..  So much for new campground.

Get back on the Parks Hwy, and in 500 feet turn left, (no sign), nice newly paved winding road. We find a horse-shoe pull thru RV site, but the brilliant engineer who design this “new” campground has the electrical pole on the wrong side of the site. So I had to back up, around their decorative boulders, and landscaped hills so our power cable could reach on the opposite side of the RV. So much for a new campground.

We get set up, and I drive over to the “Iron Ranger” to pay for nights visit. But instead of me sticking some $$ in an envelope (minus what I paid for down the road) they have a fancy high tech payment machine, much like you have in parking garages. Enter your license plate number and # of nights staying, insert credit card, and it prints a ticket. So much for getting my $$ back…. New campground uh…..so much for that.

I get home and I smell dinner in the air, YES…. Ann Marie is cooking some pork chops. We chow down a great meal and then we sit down and reflect on how weird this day has been.

Then at 614pm we feel the RV start shaking, not alot, but enough to know, yep a magnitude 3.2 earthquake, about 20 miles from here.

So today was a little out of kilter, and tomorrow will be better…..