We have new TOYS and will start RVing again soon. Check it out and see all the photos at end.

It has been a while since we have been posting on our blog and we apologize for that. But that’s all going to change now.

Someone told us that we don’t let the grass grow under our feet. They are probably correct, because if we did we would probably miss something, so we love to wander and explore. The last post was when we purchased a home in Star Valley Ranch, after having sold our 2020 Tiffin Phaeton 40IH (which contrary to our highest expectations turned out to be a huge disappointment. Nothing seemed to work on it and the paintwork had over 150 issues on it, so much so that the Paint Manager of Warranty admitted that it should never had left the factory in that condition. A few months later we found out why the drop in QC at Tiffin, when it was announced that Bob Tiffin had sold his business to THOR (of all people). Apparently Thor’s reputation was so bad that they needed a high quality brand name like Tiffin to pull them up. Unfortunately that just drags Tiffin down, so Bob Tiffin never would even acknowledge us, much less agree to talk to us about all our problems. Then, since the economy had taken a turn to the point that due to Covid production of RVs, (as well as cars and everything else) had taken a nose-dive, new RVs were hard to find and thus were more expensive; so Bill researched the option of selling the Tiffin back to La Mesa RV (who we bought it from) and was able to get them to offer us $3,000 more than we had paid for it 10 months earlier. So we sold it.

Unfortunately, at that time we were still in the Tiffin Warranty Service Center in Red Bay, Alabama, and La Mesa wanted the RV badly, so much so that they sent a driver there to pick it up in Red Bay. So, then we were truly HOMELESS… no RV, no house, not even a vacant lot to pitch a tent on. So, we bought a 7 cu. ft. chest freezer at Walmart (for all the frozen food in the RV freezer) and rented a 6’ x 12’ U-Haul cargo trailer and packed it to the gills with all our stuff from the RV. 

During this time we had to look desperately for an existing house to buy in Star Valley Ranch, as we would not be able to build one that quick. There were only about 4-5 houses for sale in Star Valley Ranch, and the one we found at an acceptable price was purely from what we could see online. So we contacted our Realtor friend in SVR who went to preview the house for us and walked around it with his phone sending us video. Well, the ground was covered with snow as most of the house exterior, but given our situation we went ahead and bought it. However, closing could not take place until April 24, 2021, but at least we would have a home to go to in a month.

Then we drove from Red Bay
AL to Star Valley Ranch WY (normally a 1,695 mile trip) made longer by having to circumvent a really bad storm system coming at us. We ended up having to turn at Little Rock AR, head down to Houston, TX across to Tucson, AZ and then on to Star Valley Ranch WY… a 2,770-mile trip. Roxy had been having a spell of (the stuff that Pepto Bismol is associated with), so we didn’t dare stay at a hotel/motel, so we took turns driving ‘Edith’ (the F150) and just pulled over at a Flying J or such, to sleep in the car for the night, with the truck running to keep the heat on, because it was quite cold, but what doesn’t kill us,, makes us stronger. 

In Star Valley Ranch we were able to rent a room in a cabin at the Wolf’s Den (55 County Rd 115, Etna WY) for a very modest price for a month (even with Roxy) if we accepted housekeeping our own room during the week and provided our own linen. Having just come from an RV, we had all that and were used to doing our own housekeeping, so it worked out well for everyone. Thank you, Cory Wolfley, for accommodating us in our hour of need.

Thankfully, the day to close finally came. Unfortunately, that’s when we started seeing all the conditions that are going to need repair or updating. So, we opted to fix the house and bring it back to it’s former glory; then sell it in two years, to satisfy not having to pay Capital Gains. During this time we also discovered that Roxy was not at all fond of being on a golf course. Golfers swinging golf clubs just petrified her and she would run and hide. We can only imagine that she was abused with someone hitting her.

So, since this house is directly on a golf course, and our other vacant lot is also on a golf course, we decided to market the other lot for sale (now sold) and later in 2023 also sell our house. Fortune smiled on us when a neighbor asked if we were planning to sell our other lot, because he has a friend in California who wants to build a home in SVR. He called and asked what we wanted for the lot, and Bill said we should not take any less than $125,000 (as property values will continue to rise here. The gentleman agreed to our price… Cash sale, to close as soon as possible, as he wants to start to build a house on it, to establish Residency in Wyoming. We’re telling you, California is getting really B-A-D.   

Anyhow, that brings us close to the present. One day talking about everything, we both came to the conclusion that we are not comfortable with never RV’ing or traveling anymore. We also agreed that once our house is sold as well, we would like to look for getting a few acres in the county (outside of the many restrictions of SVR) and where there is no golf course for Roxy’s sake, and there building a Barn-dominium where we can have a small residential area and a big area for the truck, RV and all the toys. This way, while we are away traveling on an RV, what we leave behind is easily stored.

Now, that on it’s own is not that unusual, BUT… as we were telling our friends, Darren and Roz (also our General Contractor and future builder of our home) what our plans are, they said “That’s what we would like to do, as long as we find a few acres in Wyoming, so we don’t lose our hunting licenses”. So now we told our Realtor and friend, Ed Koontz, to look for 10 acres, instead of just 5. Then another friend mentioned that they too would like to sell their house (just outside of SVR and look for some acreage. We’re not sure WHY they want that since their house already has 5 acres, but IF they are, we are all for it. Imagine having a 15-acre compound of people we get along with and ALL good conservatives, where we cam all look after each other’s things, and if necessary be able to defend our homes together, from the rampant liberals. Thank goodness there aren’t a lot of these around here.  

As to an RV to travel in, we both agreed that we did not want another motorhome (gas or diesel). We have had 4 of them and the only good one was the Fleetwood Discovery 40E, which we regret having sold and they don’t make the floorplan we like anymore. So it would have to be a bumper-pull or a fifth wheel. The purpose of the RV is too be able to travel mostly during the winter months, going to AZ, or TX or FL or so, and returning in May to WY. So, a trailer pull would not be as desirable as a 5th Wheel. but a Fiver would require something bigger than a Ford F150 XLT (half-ton). So as the first step we traded our silver 2017 F150 XLT 4x4 (‘Edith2’) for a 2018 F350 Lariat (1 ton super duty) with a 6.7L diesel 4x4. We are thrilled with it, in spite of diesel being so expensive. That will change in two years when the GOP Takes America Back. Next step… finding the right 5^th wheel.

We looked and looked at RV Trader, RVT, private sellers, etc. and went to view some of the ones that looked best. ALL a big BUST. It’s hard to believe that people who want to sell an RV show it in such bad shape and so dirty… BUT they do. Fed up with it all, we finally found a brand new 2021 Montana 3120RL at an excellent price in Ashland VA. Unfortunately, it would cost us $6,000 to transport it to WY. So we said NO! Instead we can get a better RV, even if for a few thousand more, but locally. We found the RV in Camping World (Pocatello, ID) but called Gavin James at the Idaho Falls ID Camping World because we go to Idaho Falls more often, so they dealer traded and sold it there. You would think that having given them a sale that they would not have otherwise had, they could at least have given us a sewer hose and/or a hose to go with our new RV... or at the very least have detailed it. They did none of that, as has been done with every other motorhome we have ever bought. 

Our salesman, Gavin James (above) is a very personable young man (younger than us anyway) and a good salesman who is not pushy but informative and a hard worker. However, like most salesmen he's more motivated by his end of month numbers than his customers' needs. For example, he wanted to deliver the our RV on the 31st of March and because he had two RVs to deliver that day, instead of taking the time to go over the RV with us to insure we were satisfied, he had it parked out in the parking lot ready to hook up and pull out, without our having a chance to check it out again and insure that the issues we had pointed out to him were taken care of. Well, they weren't. As it turned out several of the items that needed to be done... weren't, and when I called him up on it he said that the items were ordered, and expected us to take it back to him at a later date, (92 miles away, each way) AFTER his RVs were all delivered on that last day of the month. Now I know why I have never bought an RV at Camping World, and why I will never buy another one there again.  

Here are some of the 'ISSUES' that were supposed to be fixed but weren't:

* The bathroom door rubs on the valance over the window across from it. The door cannot be shortened because then it would leave a gap in the frame. The valance would have to be shortened as to its distance from the wall. A simple fix really, so we cannot imagine why Keystone would not have noticed that and fixed it in their design. We wonder how many other 3812MS units have the same issue. As many as were made no doubt. (see photos and video)

* The bathroom door handle gets scratched from rubbing against another door handle when it is fully opened. Again, Keystone should have picked up on this, as it will be an issue for every other 3812MS made. (see photos and video)

* The floor tiles are all covered in glue or adhesive, where apparently someone walked on it and spread it (at the factory, no doubt)... but past QC. We don't know what we can use to clean it without voiding the warranty on the tiles.

* Water Leak from the rear A/C down into the Livingroom, through the driver-side A/C vent, after a rain shower. (see photos and video)

* Front Door is bowed/warped. The top and bottom corners touch the frame, but the middle sticks out about 3/8"-1/2", which makes it necessary for one to slam the door. Also the striker plate is off center (or something) so that the door is very difficult if at all possible to lock. (see photos and video) 

The dilemma for the RV was that Mary wanted the larger size freezer of a French Door Refrigerator (you know how she loves to cook) but with the power flexibility of an electric/propane RV refrigerator. Nothing seemed to satisfy all needs, until we found a brand new 2021 (left over) Keystone Montana 3812MS, which is the same size as our previous motorhomes, but a 5^th wheel  and has not 1… not 2… but actually 3 full-sized wardrobe closets in the bedroom (yes its’s a big bedroom). One closet is for the washer & dryer. In one of the other 2 Mary, can put our 7cu ft chest freezer in it (as it even already has a 110v outlet in it) and in the kitchen is a 12 cu ft RV electric/propane refrigerator. So now Mama is happy, because as we all know “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody gonna be happy.”  

We probably won’t start traveling in it until around July or August for short trips to get used to it, because we still have work to do on the house to prepare it for sale in 2023. In the meantime, we still have things to do to get it ready for travel. We wanted to put an Onan 5500 generator in it, but one just cannot get one ANYWHERE. The soonest one can be had is 16-24 weeks away, shipped directly from the factory. So we bought two Firman 4000w peak/3200w running and a parallel kit to get a total of 8000/6400 watts, if needed when boondocking, as mostly we will be at a campground with electric service with our Thousand Trails / Encore or Passport  memberships, but we also want to be able to boondock.

So, that’ll catch you up to where we are and what we’re up to. Below are photos of our new (to us) 2018 Ford F350 Lariat 4x4 tow truck and of our brand new 2021 Keystone Montana 3812MS 5^th wheel. We hope to catch up with our friends on the road again, in the future.

The TRUCK:

The RV:

Sewer Hose is kept below, freeing up space

 in compartments and keeping odors OUT.

We hope you enjoyed the tour of our new RV until you can see it in person.

Happy Trails!!

Christmas 2021 Newsletter - Merry Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022!!

Merry Christmas 2021!!  

       

 It seems like just last week we were putting together the 2020 Christmas letter!! Like other years, 2021 has been pretty eventful.  But as is usual for us, it was eventful in a totally different way than prior years.

We spent Winter 2020-2021 in Florida, visiting friends and staying warm.  In late February we traveled to Red Bay, AL to have the final round of warranty work completed on our 2020 Tiffin Phaeton 40IH.  We had not been happy with our new motorhome and were hopeful that this final warranty trip would resolve all of the issues we were having.  It became clear rather quickly that neither Tiffin, nor the Spyder System's Software Technical team were going to be able to resolve the issues we were experiencing.  Bill reached out to the Dealer where we bought the motorhome and they offered us slightly more than we paid for it 10 months earlier.   Unfortunately,  we couldn't locate an acceptable replacement for it, so we were trying to accept the fact that we would have to keep the Phaeton.

About that time, a house came up for sale in Star Valley Ranch, WY that was larger than we wanted, but reasonably priced.  Our Realtor friend toured it for us and the owners accepted our initial offer.  So, we sold the motorhome, bought a small freezer (the fridge freezer in the motorhome was full), rented a U-Haul trailer and proceeded to travel to Wyoming from Alabama.  The weather the third week of March turned on us and we had to drop down from I-40 to I-10.  In all we drove 2600 miles in 4 days.  Roxy was having issues with her IBD, so we didn't dare to stop at any motels, opting instead to sleep in the truck.  It was cold enough that even as far south as we were we had to leave the engine idling all-night to stay warm. 

The house we bought is very striking, being a 3-story with log siding.  Here we were getting the fall decorations ready, three bales of straw!

After we moved in and were doing some work on the first floor, we discovered that the first floor had originally been a 2 car garage.  In 2006 the owner remodeled the first floor and added a 32' x 36' detached garage.

We found an RV Park/Log cabin motel close to Star Valley Ranch where we rented a cabin room for a month until we closed on the house.  Since late April we have been nonstop working on the house, as at 25 years old it has needed more work than we anticipated.   And, finding folks to work on it has been challenging.  We never did find a landscape company to cut the grass, so we bought a zero-turn riding lawnmower with a pull-behind trailer and a 6’x10’utility trailer.  We have used all three far more than their original purpose.  It was a good thing we bought the lawnmower as the man next door had hip replacement surgery over the summer and Bill was able to cut their grass everytime he cut ours.  The next-door neighbors have been very appreciative.

Bill learning to use his zero turn lawnmower. 

We tell ourselves that the house is worth it, as it has an awesome setting.  We are about 50 miles south of Jackson Hole and 60 miles south of Grand Teton Nat’l Park.  Every road out of this Valley is a designated Scenic Byway.  We are on the 8th fairway of a Championship Golf Course (good as to the view, but bad due to broken windows… bad golfers).  The views from the second-floor deck are incredible!!  (Did I mention this is a 3-story house?)  From the back of the house, we look westward across the fairway and Star Valley to the Caribou Mountains.  From the front deck we face east to the Salt River Range and a view of Cedar Creek Canyon.  Part of our project has been to remove trees that destroyed much of the view.  So far, we have removed about 2 dozen trees; some because they were dead, some were too close together and some were too close to the buildings.  We still have 7 large trees to remove in the back that will open the view to the Caribou Mountains and the setting sun.  There were way too many trees for the .62-acre lot!

View to the Southwest from the back, second floor deck.  In the summer it is a view of the 8th tee, the Valley and the Caribou Mountains to the west.  In the winter.....well, the snow is really pretty!

One of my favorite scenery subjects is Tin Cup Mountain. It is one of the highest peaks in the Caribou Mountain Range, which runs down the western side of Star Valley. In this shot, the pink color is coming from the sun rising behind it, above the Salt River Mountain Range, on the east side of Star Valley.

Tin Cup again, this time with the clouds below i, covering the view of Star Valley.

 

And then there are the fabulous sunsets to the west.  

Cedar Creek Canyon in the fall with clouds moving down the Canyon.  

Early mountain snowfall in Cedar Creek Canyon.  

The view from the front deck is Cedar Creek Canyon and the Salt River Mountain Range. Sunrise over Haystack Mountain in the Salt River Range to our east. 

The first floor of the house contains a Family Room, Laundry Room, Guest Room with a custom designed Queen-sized log bed, a bathroom and a second Guest Room or office.  The Family Room has a sort of kitchenette with mini fridge, microwave, etc. So, we have room for guests.  Next summer we plan to add a complete RV pad next to the house.  The second floor is a Living Room,  Dining area, Kitchen, Pantry and Half Bath.  This is where we spend most of our time.  The third floor is a loft Master Bedroom with Master Bath and large closet. Two French Doors to an east facing balcony  A King-sized custom log bed came with the house.

                             

First floor kitchenette in the living room.  The first floor rooms really could be a separate appartment, except Mary wouldn't have a laundry room. The first floor guest room contains a custom designed Queen Size log bed that came with the house.

Dining area on the second floor.  One of the previous owners had enclosed the deck on the south side of the house, so we had a six foot wide room the width of the house to work into our living space.  So, we added a bar on one end, next to the dining area.  To the right of the photo is a sliding door to the deck, with a view to the west and the golf course, Valley and Caribou Mountains.

The gas fireplace is set off with an antique fireplace mantel.  This is the fireplace that malfunctioned shortly after we moved in and we nearly burned the house down when the gas leak exploded and started burning. 

Mary and her shadow working on Christmas cookies and peanut brittle for Christmas gifts.

View of the staircase to the third floor Master Bedroom Loft from the bar area.  Even with blinds drawn, there is a lot of natural light inside the house.

We had a small Christmas Tree from the Casita in Arizona, so we put that up and Roxy likes to either lay on the rug, or under the Tree.  She really isn't amused with the Reindeer headband.

Roxy, feeling silly, being made to wear antlers for the Christmas photo. 

The custom designed log bed in the Master Bedroom loft came with the house, as did the similarly designed log bed in the first floor guest room.  There are two doors out to the third floor balcony.  We just had the outside storm doors replaced, which has made a great difference in how weather tight the doors are.  

The view out the back windows is incredible, and will be even better when Bill takes out the remaining trees that are blocking the view of the mountains. 

One thing we continually talk about is how beautiful it is here and how fortunate we are to be able to live here.  Mule Deer inhabit this valley and in winter Elk, Moose, Bears and sometimes a stray Mountain Lion can be seen (or evidence of their presence).  Elk and Moose  have come down from the mountains.  We frequently see deer in the yard.  So frequently in fact, that Roxy is not even intrigued with them anymore.  Guess she thinks they are just big dogs and they don't seem afraid of her.  About 12 miles north of us on the main North/South Hwy is a feedlot for the Elk.  They are also coming down from the mountains and will remain in the state sponsored feedlots until late April/early May.  We’re hoping to get up to the National Elk Refuge north of Jackson Hole this winter and take a sleigh ride through the Refuge. It would be awesome to take that tour.

A herd of deer on the outskirts of the Town of Star Valley.  The doe in the photo below decided to join us for Sunday Brunch.

Two moose (the 'cow' above, and the 'bull' below) that we saw when driving home from Idaho Falls.  We frequently see wildlife along our route through farmland and mountains.

On a positive note, this house is teaching us A LOT about designing a house for this climate and we're grateful for the opportunity to have this house (sore muscles and all) before we design and build our own ONE STORY house next year..  We are totally redesigning the house that we had planned to build this year.  We will instead be building a totally different house design in 2023.

Along with  the log beds, we also bought a MacDaddy Troy Bilt Polar Blast 4510 snowblower for $1100, which new was about $2400.  Here is Bill clearning snow from the first major snow storm. As you can see he's grown a beard to keep the cold off of his face. Now he just needs too grow some hair on his top to keep his head warm, too.

One of the things we have learned is to align the house so that the snow shed from the roof does not fall on the driveway.  Bill added the "wall" along the base of the deck to keep the snow shed from blocking the covered walkway from the house to the garage.  So far it is working.

When we moved in at the end of April, we noted that the deer had been under the decks for protection from the weather.  After the first couple of snow falls, we found that the steps from the ground level to the second floor deck got really icy and slippery.  So, to keep the critters from climbing the steps to the deck and to keep the delivery folks (UPS and FedEx) from going up the stairs, Bill put orange snow fence around the base of the stairs.

Here is a short VIDEO of the sounds the snow & ice coming off of the roof makes. One has to be sure not to walk too close to the esges of the house,too, because IF one of those chunks of iced snow fall on your head, it CAN kill you. That's why Bill built that half wall on the lower walkway... to keep the snow shedding out of the walk way so we would have a safe passageway to get back to the garage. However, the shedding of snow makes an awful noise (as the ice slides down a metal roof) coming down, which can be heard partly from the outside, but is much, much louder inside the house. So, to get the best effect, be sure to have your SOUND VOLUME TURNED ON to enjoy it better.

(Analog)

Every room has it's own heater ('Cove' or 'Cadet') and all of the thermostats were like the one above (analog).  The calibration was not very accurate, so it was impossible to tell what the temperature setting was. Bill has now replaced all of the thermostats to digital versions (like the one below), including the one in the heated garage, for a total of 10 new digital thermostats. Apart from being a great tree-cutter lumberjack and carpenter, he has also become quite a good electrician... a proud graduate of You Tube Videos.

(Digital)

The main entrance on the first floor has a coat tree and now has several boot trays to collect the moisture from snow melting off of our boots.  This is another item that has taught us what to plan for in our building design.

We still plan to do some traveling in the West and occasionally may go east of the Mississippi River, but it will be a different mode of travel than a 41' diesel-pusher motorhome.  We don't know what that will look like just yet, but we're having fun looking at all the options available. 

Our new mailing address has a note of finality to it:
30 Last Chance Cir #7337
Star Valley Ranch, WY 83127

Homes in "The Ranch" as it is referred to, (short for the Town of Star Valley Ranch) do not have mailboxes along the road, instead we are a Postal Substation of Thayne, WY, hence the #7337.(without this number attached to the address, the postal personnel would not know which box to put it into. Packages (UPS/FedEx) still deliver to the house itself, though.

This photo is NOT from our immediate area, but from Jackson Hole (about 50 miles northeast of us), but it will give you an idea of what some people have to deal with, when living in the mountains. How would you like to snow-shovel or rake that much snow of your roof every week? As you can see that is a shingle roof (which holds the snow on it, which is why we are so thankful our home has a metal roof (as will the new one we design). We can put up with the noise, when it sheds, as long as we don't have to shovel it off. 

In closing this year, we hope that 2021 has been kind to you and yours, and we wish that 2022 brings you joy, good health and safety/sanity, to you and all around you...

Mary and Bill

Merry Christmas

&

Happy New Year!!