Just wondering how everything went in WV Rick?

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 07, 2002

Answers

Well...........

We made trip down in 7 1/2 hours, and back in 7 3/4.

Record times, with no sleepy eyes whatsoever (I am the only driver- Ann only has a Learners card)!

We had an excellent time, and made some important contacts, while learning more about our place and neighbors.

We arrived at 10:30 pm, in a medium hard rain. We needed to off- load our gear to the motor home. My first opportunity to get peeved was finding the 12 volt electricity for lighting was dead. No prob- God is good, and we had the resources and planning to take enough D cells to operate our Coleman fluorescent light for 4 to 8 weeks, I think.

I decided to drive the honda wagon down past where the Motorhome had been stuck to the barn, to get the composting toilet and sawdust.

Well...........now I got the car stuck AND we have to carry everything in the rain! We tried with rocks and brush to get a firm spot for the wheels to grab, with some success, but really needed a 2nd person to help push while I rocked back and forth.

I called Matt (the former owners son- who had gotten the Motor home unstuck), after walking the 1/2 mile to get a cell phone signal- to tell him I wouldn't be there at 10 am to change axles in Lazarus (the 1991, 141,000 mile, twice rammed, once totaled Station Wagon.

We had traveled 400 plus miles to the homestead to swap out both axles, as the c/v boots were worn. It cost me 140 bucks instead of 300 or more, and I learned a new skill.

Well.....Matt showed up with 13 inch chains to solve the traction issue altogether. The axle job went well AFTER we drove 60 miles to get a replacement (Praise God they had it!) axle for a defective one. Note: axles have splines (grooved lines all the way around an axle or shaft- and they like to be perfect little lines, with no mars or burrs!!!

I'll pick up with The Easter Sunday Monsoon later. It does get better, and anyway: all's well that ends well!!

So glad Easter Saturday was dry!

-- Rick in SW West Virginia (Rick_122@hotmail.com), April 07, 2002.

Sounds like fun so far!!! Let us know the rest of the story...

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 07, 2002.

Easter Sunday it rained so much, I knew we were there for the day. I eventually put tubs and pots everywhere I could, and we caught about 30 or 40 gallons of rain water from tjhe RV awning for cleaning and bathing purposes.

The ground was so wet, that I had to lay out a "deck" of old rotting timber to walk on to get to the outdoor sink, cookstove and potty.

Monday, we gathered rocks to give the RV traction, and got it away from the creek, but not before giving Ann a heart attack. I was backing up on the elevated bank of the creek to get a moving start before heading across the mud. Try to picture the extended rear of the RV passing over the creek. Ann didn't realize that I was doing this with full intent, and let out a blood-curdling scream. We spent the rest of the day setting up our home and it's facilities.

Tuesday we went to pick up Jenny , one of the former owners. After purchasing some supplies and tools at the local hardware store, we went home to get a tour, and mark some boundries. We had a soil extension agent due at 3:30 pm, and he helped us plot a road at a 6 per-cent grade heading down from a lovely homesite. We took Jen home, and picked up a bag of salad and a coulple of mini pizzas. Did you know you can cook pizza on a stove top, on a pie pan, in a covered cast-iron pot? Ironically, we also picked up 5 pounds of ice. (Melissa- do you rember the weather from Wednesday on?)

Wednesday we hauled large stone to line mud ruts in our road to help fight erosion. We were waiting for 40,000 pounds of #3 stone to spread. It never made it. We found out Thursday that the hauler couldn't be sure the bridge would hold the weight, and the neighbor who had the bridge built had no idea how much weight it would hold. As the creek was still too high to cross next to the bridge, the stone went back to the supplier.

Thursday we hauled more rocks for the road!

Friday , we found 3 trees to use (with a 4th post put in) to make a lean to with tarps so our potty would be a privvy. It might outlast the winds! Then we took Matt, Jen and Mary to a buffet, for dinner.

Saturday we slept in on getaway day, closed up camp, and left for Metropolis.

We had a great trip, in spite of the rain, and cold. Wednesday night through Friday it was 20 to 25 in the valley, and I'm guessing 40 in the camper. 1/4 inch or more of ice on the water outside!

It snowed Friday night, enough to drip on the potty which hadn't been re-located yet. Much to my surprise, a fat little mouse was holed-up in the bucket. My city sense told me to "get rid of it", but my country sense compromised, and I tossed it accross the creek with a shovel! I sure was lucky the potty needed to be moved, or else there might have been another scream in that valley, and a textbook heart-attack had I sat down with the mouse in there!! They can leap as high as a five gallon bucket!

-- Rick in SW West Virginia (Rick_122@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002.