November 21, 2022 - Getting out of Dodge (or Star Valley, that is) for the Winter 2022-2023

Compared to last winter, which was relatively a mild one (by Wyoming standards), this winter will apparently be quite the opposite. Unfortunately, Bill had some dentist appointments which required us to stay until November 18th, so that delayed our plan to leave earlier. Also by the time we got back from the Indiana (Affinity and JC Refrigeration) trip, (on October 23rd) it had already started snowing in Star Valley Ranch and it snowed and snowed and snowed... pretty much until the day we left to head South on November 21st. So that made unpacking the RV from the previous trip and repacking it for a 5-6 month trip down South to Texas, a lot more difficult. We had to walk through 6-8 inches of snow on the ground and even on some ice (from compressed snow packs). Additionally, though the 5th wheel was hooked up to a 50Amp electric at the house, we kept running out of propane from having to use the furnace to keep it heated and warm enough to keep the tanks and water lines from freezing, as daily the night-time temps would drop to below freezing and sometimes to below 0 deg F. Then, a few days before leaving we realized that the water lines and toilet were frozen, so given the extreme temperatures and snow-covered ground we figured that we would have to wait until we got to Texas (and a warmer climate) to be able to work on the repairs. Then, just before we left it got worse. The furnace stopped working because the regulator on the propane tanks also froze so the furnace was not getting any fuel. Bless Mary's heart... she figured it out and got her trusty hair dryer and blew hot air on them until she managed to unfreeze them. Once that was done we left in a hurry, before something else went wrong.

Photos above and below taken on November 6, 2022.  This amount of snow did not present itself until well into December last year.  Hence our decision to head for a warmer climate this winter,

Roxy loves the cold and to be outside.  While we were loading the 5th Wheel, she relaxed in the driveway, for over an hour, just laying in the snow.  Silly girl!

Except for the roads in Star Valley Ranch, which were slick from the frozen snow, the roads in the county were all pretty well maintained and free of snow (plowed and treated/sanded) so the trip was pretty uneventful. Since we had left late on the 21st (just to get out of Dodge) we drove only as far down as the Kemmerer Port of Entry (116 miles), as it was getting dark and we wanted to avoid hitting a critter on the dark country road. The next day we were up early and left by 07:30am driving 558 miles to make up for lost time and distance the day before, stopping for the night at the Cuerno Verde - Colorado City rest area. That was 674 miles of a 1345 trip to the Thousand Trails Lake Whitney RV Campground. The next day we drove 370 miles to the Donley County Southbound rest area on Hwy 287 in Hedley TX, which left just 301 for the 4th and last day of this trip. We had gorgeous days of travel, dry, sunny days, getting warmer and warmer as we headed South. Fortunately also we seemed to be staying just ahead of foul weather coming up behind us. Our neighbors told us that Star Valley had  a few inches of new snow right after we left, and along our route snow was being predicted for the next day after we left each stop for the night. Unfortunately the last (4th) day it was cloudy and foggy all day and it rained off and on along that last leg. So needless to say we were glad to get to the campground.

Port of Entry, Kemmerer WY (first night on the road).

We left a cup of coffee with some coffee in it and an almost empty bottle 

of Coke in the cab of the truck. The next morning they were frozen solid.

Driving through Colorado, I-25 Pueblo CO

2nd night on the road at Cuerno Verde, a Colorado City rest area 

The truck spaces are quite comfortable for an RV (IF you arrive early enough to get a space next to a lamp post (well lit and one can use the 'island' marking to be able to open at least one side of slides.

Onan Fault 15 (lacking fuel/propane) The propane meter on this Montana is far worse than that on either of the previous motorhomes. Two 30# (7 gals) tanks and we couldn't tell that we were empty. These 30# propane tanks are definitely NOT for cold weather, especially since the generator uses A LOT of propane as much as the furnace. A motorhome has a 35-40gals tank and it used to last us 2-4 weeks. Now we're having to swap out a 30# tank daily it seems (sometimes more) which is a royal pain for the person that has to do that (Bill).

Roxy didn't care though. As long as she is with her peeps, 

and gets her 3 squares a day... and ice, she's a  happy girl.

The next day we slept at the Donley County (Hedley TX) rest area and then 

the next day we arrived at the TT Lake Whitney Campground, in Whitney TX settling in on Site D-7 because we could get into it without threat of hurting our ne roof. As it turned out we have stayed at this same site before (in our motorhome) too.

So the next day Bill started working on the repairs. He fixed the frozen water lines and the only issue was a frozen whole house water filter which had caused the housing to burst. Luckily the water pump was fine and after drying it all up and reconnecting the wires with new joints, all was well. He did remove and disassemble the water filter and will probably just keep a replacement outside the rig, where he can get to it easier.

Unfortunately this RV has ONLY ONE storage compartment. True, it is a thru-compartment, meaning it goes from one side to the other, but still it is just ONE, and that one compertment has to store everything that does not go inside the RV... boxes (like the yellow top one seen in photo), one for water hoses. one for electric cords, one for power cables for the RV, one for sewer attachments and connectors, one for Mary's holiday decorations, one for the many tools that are needed to do the many repair jobs that go with owning a 5th Wheel, PLUS the cooking Grill, the Fire Pit, the Weather Station and poles, the table for the grill, and the two folding rocking chairs and whatever else gets added. This is a major sore point between us, as Bill is the one that has to deal with the underside storage and still be able to find whatever he is looking for... not to mention that everything has to come out just to have access to work on the water pump, filters and water issues. Having had motorhomes for the last 7 years (and Bill for the last 15 years), with an ungodly amount of underside storage spaces and compartments, as well as a full length underside to insulate weather as well as sounds, it is beyond Bill why he ever agreed to go to a 5th Wheel when we decided that we were not through with traveling and wanted to RV some more. The only benefit (IF one can call it a benefit) is that Mary will help drive a 5th wheel because it is just like driving t he F350 (without a trailer behind it. The other benefit was that we could get both the 5th Wheel and Truck and have them fully paid for. Bill still does not think that that was a fair consideration because there are so many differences between a 5th Wheel and a diesel pusher motorhome... like comfort, storage capacity and compartmentalization, weather resistance, ease to drive, etc. Yes, Mary will drive the Fiver but even so Bill's butt will be sore from all the bumps on the road by the time do just one day's drive.  Given these differences we have already lost the whole house water filter recently added/installed due to freezing weather, despite it being supposedly a "Four Season" RV. Given that the weather had already turned miserable in Wyoming when the water stopped flowing and the toilet pedal would not even give way (open), and the pumpp fuse kept shorting. So we had to travel all the way to Texas with no water coming from the tank and no toilet, before we could take everything out of the storage compartment and be able to access the water hoses to see what the problem was. Once in TT Lake Whitney, we were able to do that and found that the problem was a frozen whole house water filter which had frozen and burst. Thankfully perhaps that breakage relieved the pressure in the water lines and though they froze, they didn't burst, saving the pump. The pump electrical wires got wet, which is why the fuse kept tripping. So Bill took out the whole house water filter tubig assembly that he had recently built/installed, rewired the electric and put everything back together (then had to reload everything back into the ONE storage compartment. The toilet pedal issue was that apparently it had also frozen and the little nub that makes the valve open/close had snapped off, so a new water valve would fix it. We remember when these valves were about $8, but like everything else they have gone up. Now one has to pay about $10... unless one is in a campground; then they cost $44 - $86, because a lot of campgrounds (like Thousand Trails ones) don't accept USPS deliveries and sometimes even though a package is sent by UPS, it gets handed off to the USPS for final delivery, which would cause it to be returned before we can ever get it. So we can only buy (or order) things that we can pick up in a store. To wit we had to pay $42.32 buying it through Home Depot and picking it up at their Cleburne store (28 miles away). But all's well that end's well... we picked up the valve at Home Depot (actually found an Albertson's store next door that Mary found some deals in too) and Bill changed it in about 15 minutes when we got back.

Water lines, pump and the diaphragm were all OK

The pump wiring was re-wired

The water line from the pump/diaphragm to the water filter assembly was removed and re-routed directly to the tank and house lines. The whole house water filter and assembly were removed and is shown in above right photo. When we get another whole house water filter we'll keep it outside attached through the water hose, as it is obvious that it will not be protected inside a 5th Wheel, as it has always been inside a motorhome. 

Then we noticed that though the water flow had been restored, the toilet was not getting water into it. Actually, it was but the water valve must have frozen and the nub that opens the valve for flow into the toilet must have broken off. We remember when they were about $6-$10. Now, though we can get one at Amazon for about $10, we have no way of knowing HOW they are going to ship it, or IF UPS will hand it over to the USPS for final delivery, which the campground will send back... So we had to order it from Home Depot and pay $43 for it, getting it delivered to a store in Cleburne TX (about 38 miles away.) Such are the issues of staying at a campground. 7 years in a motorhome and never had the water valve freeze on a toilet, despite having had 2 toilets on each motorhome.

Mary and Roxy enjoying having arrived in Texas 

and being able to relax in non-freezing weather.

We were glad to see that the roof was still in good shape and ALL the snow had melted off. 

Luckily, despite the ungodly amount of low-canopy trees in this campground, we managed to find a campsite which we could get into without scraping the roof with the overhanging branches.

Next, Bill installed the pole for the weather station, though in this campground due to the amount of trees blocking the wind we were unable to actually use the weather station, but it is ready for TT Lake Conroe (next).

Next we drove to Fort Worth to the Texas Toll Tag service center, to transfer our account from the old motorhome and F150, for the new vehicles, as we will be traveling on Toll Roads here. We also picked up the tags to attach to the vehicles (one for each, Montana, F350 and the Explorer in case we should ever drive it down to stay at a park model, or to tow behind a motorhome :-) 

The Thousand Trails (TT) Lake Whitney RV Campground and Resort is not one of our favorite campgrounds, but we couldn't get a reservation that soon where we wanted to go (TT Lake Conroe, north of Houston), so we booked a 2-week stay here, just to be able to get away from the Wyoming cold and snowy weather before it got worse. TT Lake Whitney is very rustic, full of trees that often create a hardship against scratching the RVs or tearing rubber roofs, the roads are full of pot holes and the campground is generally not maintained very well. Worse, at this time, because of the winding down of the season, most of the outlying bathrooms/showers are locked, requiring one to go to the main lodge to use the showers and laundry there. 

On a positive note, we met a very nice 40-year old young man who is also from Wyoming. He noticed our Wyoming plates and stopped to chat. He's from Green River. He's one of the youngest people who is a full time RVer and loves the lifestyle. He's a Welder by day, a fisherman when he can and an RVer by choice... and all-around great guy. He brought us over some Stripers (Striped Bass) that he had caught and filleted. He even brought us some Louisiana Homestyle Chicken Fry batter mix (mild recipe) to try as we said we had never had it before. So he got himself invited over for steak dinner, a few evenings later, when he brought over two more bags of frozen (caught) fish fillets. After dinner we alsogave him 4 foot-long Beer Brats from Lowery Meat & Seafood Market that we had gotten in Buchanan, MI.

One day we drove up to Fort Worth (@58 miles, one way) to go to the Texas Toll Tag service center to get new tags for the 5th wheel, the F350 and the Explorer, and found a gas station (Walmart Neighborhood Market) that was selling diesel for just $3.99/gal and DEF for just $10.92/2.5 gals, so we stocked up filling the 34 gals gas tank and the 63 gals auxiliary tank. Fuel is so much better-priced in Texas.   

Well, after this stay we go on to TT Lake Conroe Dec. 10 - 17, where we have an appointment with Sats2Go(.com) to set up our Dish service through our Winegard Playmaker Dual domed satellite... and then on to TT Colorado River (Columbus, TX) where we'll greet the New Year... then back to TT Lake Conroe for 3 weeks. However, we have been contemplating the idea of changing future reservations and going to Florida instead, so we can see old friends. BUT everything is on 'Stand-By' until we get a better idea of the Diesel supply availability as well as to what is going to happen with the threatened Railroad Strike, etc.

From here, on December 10th we will be going to the TT Lake Conroe resort in Conroe TX, where we will be meeting with Sats 2Go to get our TVs hooked up to the domed satellite and wired to the Winegard 360+ system. That will be our next post.