Brass Monkey

While parked at Mountain Valley RV Resort in Heber City, Utah, in October we were treated with weather normally reserved for January - cold and snow.

October snow

When we woke up, the mercury was reading 1°F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is CCCOOOOLLLLLDDDD weather to be living in an RV and is quite out of the normal weather for October in Utah.

Fred and Ethel, the flamingos, are not happy

Our RV was equipped at the factory with three rooftop heat pumps that are rated for a total of 43,000 BTU.  They normally keep the RV quite comfortable for a low electricity consumption, but unlike a residential heat pump, they don't have auxiliary heat. So, when the outside temperature drops below 32F, they are not recommended for use. Our RV is also equipped with an Aqua-Hot brand Hydronic Heating System. It uses electricity to heat our hot water. It also burns diesel fuel to heat boiler fluid that it circulates through forced air heat exchangers located though out our coach. When on diesel, the Aqua-Hot also provides endless hot water for long showers!!!!

Aqua-Hot 450DM in our "basement"

I winterized our site's water hydrant and our potable water supply hose with a thermostatically controlled heat tape and then insulated our hose with some inexpensive foam pipe insulation. I then covered the hydrant with some Reflectix brand insulation that I taped up.

Silver bag and hoses.

We had a second batch of cold weather and snow later during our stay. The temperatures did not stay that way, and the campground snowmen did not last long.

Tackling dummy

One Cool Camper

Roadside America Part 1

I like to find the goofy things that people build along the highways and byways of America. Here are some that we have found.

Paul Bunyan and friends

In Bemidji, Minnesota we visited Paul Bunyan with Babe, the Blue Ox.  We were accompanied by Kevin and Tammy.

Stealth

According to Roadside America website, he is Nanobouzou, Bunyan's Muffler Man Foe.  A statue of the big Indian -- actually a repurposed Muffler Man -- who beat Paul Bunyan to death with a fish. At least, according to Anishinaabeg tradition. To pay for his crime, the Indian stands frozen in a perpetual salute to a Bunyan statue across the street.

Hen Pecked?

While visiting Kevin and Tammy we made a trip down to Rothsway, MN which is declared (self-proclaimed?) the “Prairie Chicken Capital of Minnesota.” Here we saw the worlds largest Prairie Chicken.  Now to find the worlds largest Chicken Hawk and Leghorn Chicken....

Pheasant on a pole (not under glass)

While driving the yet to be named bus through Redfield, South Dakota, the Pheasant Capital of the World, I had to get my photo under this beauty.

Cars from the 50s and 60s

We were moving the bus Rapid City, SD to North Sterling Sate Park in CO. We took a few miles out of our way to visit Carhenge in Alliance, NE. It was built in a farm field north of Alliance, Nebraska, under the supervision of farmer (and engineer) Jim Reinders, who meant it as a memorial to his dad.

I hope you look forward to a future post of more Roadside America attractions that we visit.