Plan B (Not plan 9 from outerspace)

It was a travel day.  We were leaving the family campground on the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on our way to spend a week in Rifle Gap State Park in western Colorado.  The route was well-planned the night before as we anticipated the Rocky Mountain crossing.  We consulted Google Maps, our Motor Carrier Atlas, and our copy of Mountain Directory West.  We verified the route in our Garmin RV GPS unit.

As planned, we departed early in the morning and got through some road construction on I-25.

We were climbing Floyd Hill on I-70, getting outstanding fuel economy.

Yes, that's reading 1.7 MPG at 35 MPH

 As we were cresting Floyd Hill, an overhead sign stated "I-70 closed, Mile 140 Gypsum, Alternate Route Advised."

Overhead Signboard from our dash cam

Even blown up, it is hard to read

We reached the top of Floyd Hill and pulled off at the first roadside parking we could find. Conveniently for us, the exit was for the Genesee Hill buffalo viewing area. We had a nice show while we figured out our next step.  Sorry, no photos of the Buffalo herd were taken as I was "wrapped around the axle" trying to figure out our next step.

Elizabeth looked at the map and found that Gypsum CO was in stretch of highway between where we were and where we wanted to go.  Elizabeth found that the road closure was due to the Grizzly Creek wildfire. So, the interstate was not going to reopen in the next hour or two. 

It looked like the detour would add another four plus hours to our day as we would have to go back towards Colorado Springs. The detour included construction areas, and the roads might be rough and tight and filled with unhappy drivers. 

The extra drive time along with a forecast of smoky air and temperatures in the 90's for the upcoming week, prompted us to do an alternative campground search. Both Elizabeth and I were frantically searching for and calling campgrounds to find an alternate for the week we would miss at Rifle Gap State park. We considered turning around and heading back to Colorado Springs to stay a third week at the Air Force Academy Family Campground. However, we decided to head north on I-25 to Cheyenne, WY and settled on the family campground on Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.

We plugged our new destination into our RV specific GPS unit, and it started rerouting us.  I had to make a U turn at the next exit and then start our descent down Floyd Hill eastbound. As our RV is over 30,000 LBS we were limited to 35 MPH due to the 4.5 miles of 6% grade and the turns in the road.  Our as yet to be named bus did outstanding as I shifted between low and high engine braking. I only had to use the service brakes for a few short periods.  NICE!!!

As we were nearing the bottom of the hill, we hit a substantial bump in the road which caused an audible alarm to go off, adding another hiccup to the day.  Checking the dash, the jacks down idiot light was lit. WHAT???? Was I dragging a leveling jack??? Elizabeth was searching for a safe place to pull off the road. She spotted a truck stop at the next exit.  While there, a quick scan of the chassis showed all four leveling jacks were not deployed. That was a relief, but the HWH leveling system would not power up. That was the reason for the idiot light and obnoxious alarm.  I removed the fuse for the auditory cacophony.  This allowed me to continue driving the bus.  Repairs will be covered in a future blog.

As a treat to help calm my nerves we decided to stop at Johnson's Corner Truck Stop for lunch. For desert, Elizabeth and I split one of their gigantic cinnamon rolls.

Super Size Cinnamon Roll

We pulled out of Johnson's Corner to find an accident at a construction site where a box truck and a semi truck pulling double trailers were apparently trying to occupy the same space simultaneously.  The road went down to a single lane after the incident...

UGH!!!

Note how little room there is for our WIDE luxury apartment on a truck chassis. With the jersey walls on the left and the box truck protruding into my lane, I thought my right hand rear view mirror was a goner. I repeatedly asked Elizabeth if she thought we would clear, but from the passenger seat she cannot see that mirror.....  We narrowly squeaked through.

Note the damaged rear wheel and creased side of the truck and the driver in the road...

After all this, we got checked into our campsite for a week of exploration in south eastern Wyoming.  I had a proper drink after setup. 

Sisters, Sisters

My sister Kathy lives in Colorado Springs with her family. While we were visiting, my dad and stepmom drove out from Virginia and brought along my brother's two daughters. Dad was fulfilling a promise made to my mom years ago that they'd bring the girls out to visit their Colorado cousins. 

We joined in for some of the activities, though we did skip some things like the ninja warrior course that the kids enjoyed. We had an afternoon of souvenir shopping and treats in Old Colorado City.  When another day of shopping was scheduled, my nephew considered staying home, saying that it wasn't worth the ice cream! I imagine that sentiment could be echoed by lots of men.

Even with treats, it was questionable if shopping was worth it.

We visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which was quite busy. It must be really crowded when there are not any Covid19 restrictions. Built on the mountainside, it's a workout just walking around. 

Nieces and nephew at Cheyenne Mtn Zoo - great views!

We went to the Flying W Ranch for a western supper and western singing wranglers. I was really impressed with their outspoken faith and their rebuilding efforts. This is the first year that the Flying W has been able to reopen since 2012, the year of the Waldo Canyon Fire. 

Chow time!

Panorama fun at Flying W

Fixing the sewing machine so she can make an extra large mask

Kathy and Blaine riding the trails

Wrapping up the visit with mini-golf outing

Sisters!

Harold's sister Annette drove down from the Denver area twice. The first visit was a relaxing day with a little shopping and lots of food. On her second visit, Harold sharpened his grilling skills with some awesome grilled vegetables. We were grateful to get some time with her. Despite Covid19, she's been a busy Frontier Airlines flight attendant. 

Brother and sister!

Narrow Escape

While our yet to be named bus was parked at Heartland RV park in Hermosa, SD, I pointed out a RV to Elizabeth that had a bad wheel bearing seal.  You can tell by the radial streaks of hub oil on the tire.  I told the RV owner about it, and he said he would get it repaired ASAP.

About one week later we were driving to Colorado Springs on a steep down hill and both of us noticed the smell of hot brakes. More on this later. We pulled into Peregrine Pines Family Campground on the US Air Force Academy, and I noted this:

This is our right front wheel.  UGH, that looks like the dreaded blown wheel bearing seal.  That is not a cheap repair.  It takes a heavy duty truck shop  to make the repair. I don't have the heavy duty tools or even a jack or jack stands to do the job.

If the brake pads got oil on them, they are about $700 just for the parts.... UGH, I will be eating mac and cheese instead of dry aged rib-eyes.

Well, I popped the hub cap off and this is what I found:

On that day we had ascended 2,160 feet in elevation from 3,875 feet at North Sterling State Park to Colorado Springs at about 6,035 feet above sea level in about 4.5 hours. The temperature in the hub probably also went up 50 degrees or more due to driving, and the heat the brakes generate going downhill. That is enough change of air pressure to push out the vent/fill plug.  NOTE: I normally fill the hubs just to the add mark to keep spillage to a minimum.

I filled the hub with oil to just above the add line, reinserted the plug and then used some simple green to wash off the spilled oil from the wheel and tire.

Here is what it is supposed to look like:

Here is a closeup of the vent/fill plug. You might note the small slit in the center of the plug that is supposed to vent the hub while keeping contaminates out of the oil.

I enlarged the slit and added a cross slit to allow air to pass with less resistance.  I did this to the drivers side hub too.

Back to the smell of brakes, I guess that the hub oil I have smells very similar to hot brakes when atomized....

Colorado Springs

Campgrounds around Colorado Springs are expensive in the summer. Thankfully, the United States Air Force Academy has a famcamp (family campground) onsite. As an added bonus, they are open during the winter months. We're tucking that little bit of information away for future use. Peregrine Pines is in a lovely setting, though not as quiet as one might think.  

First, we could see the train tracks from our site, and there were a lot of trains. Since Harold is a rail fan, the noise was not an issue. We were amused by the warning on the famcamp rules that there was nothing they could do about the train whistles since there was wildlife around. We imagine the NTSB would be amused as well. 

First train in the morning

Second, there was an aero club on base. As we quickly found out, planes start going up at 6:30 a.m. We would often see gliders being towed up and skydivers landing. 

Third, there were the almost daily public address system announcements of lightning within five nautical miles and to seek shelter immediately. This announcement would be followed by the cancellation announcement a few minutes later. Then, during the workweek you'd hear Colors and the national anthem at the close of the workday. 

We went to the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. The interior held more machines than I expected and the guide demonstrated most of them, much to Harold's delight. I think I was most captivated by the display of everyday items and the minerals used in them and the rescue cage for the 33 Chilean miners a few years ago.  

Escape pod

The museum grounds contained a fully operational stamp mill for breaking down ore, a steam shovel, and other items. 

Lots of stuff to see outside too

Mining hoist winch and hoist bucket from Morning Glory Mine

Skinner Steam Engine and Westinghouse Generator

Corliss Engine

Cornish Walking Beam Engine

Inside the stamping mill

$800 vs $7 (plus a used weed wacker) Headlight Replacement

The headlights in our yet to be named bus were original equipment, meaning they have received thirteen years of weathering. Over these years, they have accumulated some micro scratches, making them hazy, and the clear plastic had sightly yellowed from the sun. The yellow lens for the integrated turn signals had faded to almost clear.

When we purchased the bus, the previous owner stated that he had someone polish the headlights.  To me, they were barely passable, and the headlights on all RVs are under powered.

Instead of buying a polishing kit and investing my time and limited supply of elbow grease, I went shopping for replacements.

Newmar quoted me $800 for the pair. I decided to shop elsewhere.  After some surfing of the RV forums, I found that the headlights were the same as a 2002-2004 Acura RSX.  I found the pair of headlights shipped to me for $107.... 

As part of downsizing,  I sold a weed whacker for $100 to a friend. So, the pair of headlights only cost $7 and about an hour of my time to replace them.  What a deal!!!!!

Mickelson Trail

We decided that it was time to do some bike riding while we were in South Dakota.  The Mickelson Trail is over a hundred miles long, stretching from Edgemont to Deadwood.  We tend to like rails to trails. They are less congested, no cars, and relatively flat, all features we appreciate for our leisurely pace. 

The first time we rode the trail, we rode from Edgemont to Sheep's Canyon. The canyon was approximately halfway between Edgemont and the next trailhead. It was far enough for us. We rested at the trailstop and returned back to Edgemont. 

Determined to get our value from the annual passes, we rode a second day. We left from Custer and were almost to the next stop, our turnaround point, when it started to pour. We donned emergency ponchos and cruised back to Custer.

Our third time on the trail, we headed for the Mystic trailhead. Our goal was the halfway point back to Hill City.  It may not be overly steep, but six miles uphill was enough. Those electric assist bikes are starting to look good. I'm not going to tell you how often we got off the bikes and walked. 

If you were to look at an elevation map of the trail, you'd notice that we planned our rides so that we rode uphill first and downhill at the end. I want to end on a good note, not an exhausted one. 

So, I'm satisfied that we got our money's worth. If we make it back to South Dakota before the annual passes expire, we'll ride again.  There's plenty of trail left to explore. 

Sheep Canyon Shelter

Sheep Canyon

Railyard at Edgemont

Bicycle sculpture near Pringle

One of two tunnels south of Mystic

Thankfully headed down on return to Mystic

Bike station on the Custer trail spur