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I hope Jim & Sandie get underway again fast. I know how that empty feeling in the pit of your stomach feels when you break down. When I was in Viet Nam i was heading back toward Saigon from K2 when a wheel bearing on my weapons carrier froze up. It was just befor dark and the Viet cong owned the road after dark. The vehicle made a complete spin on the gravel road and came to a stop. I was about to abandon the thing and hide in the bushes but tried one more time to free it by putting it in reverse and popping the clutch a couple time and it freed up but froze up again about every 2 miles. I was never so glad to get back through the gate of the air field in Saigon in my who tour. I stopped the truck at our motor pool and just sat there for about half an hour trying to get myself recomposed.

I thought that would get a rise out of Steve. If I get him mad enough I can sneak in and get the Ice Cream machine while he is snorting and pawing the ground. It was sunny all day today and would have been a perfect day if it wasn't for the wind. Not real strong but too strong to be comfortable. I didn't get much done as I planned but thats OK. I might go ahead and go to City of Rocks tomorrow then come back Tuesday to take the Navion to Jimmy's RV Repair to have a sewer hose carrier installed under one of the compartments. I've been storing it in a plastic bag in a compartment and thats not too good. It never dries out and it stinks up the compartment. I spent most of the day showing the Navion to Cowgirls that are here for the rally. Or talking to friends that I haven't seen for a while. I never thought the Navion was such a girllie wagon but they all love it.

CAROL glad you're feeling a little more chipper but don't let Steve Know. Make him wait on you for a while longer. It will do him good. I've decided to wait until Monday to fly the coop. It will let me get everything done at a more leisurely pace and make it easier to get the LP tank filled. The wind is huffing and puffing today which makes it uncomfortable to work out side and after the busy schedule I've had all this week I sure could use a couple extra Steves. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Mike and Julie are here. We had both just had a big lunch so we elected not to go out to dinner. We had happy hour at their rig and talked a blue streak. Julie came from the same area of NC that I lived in for 33 years while running the Square Dance Program. So we had plenty to catch up on. After we ran out of breath talking and sipping cranberry juice we went to see my new go go rig. We got our wind back and talked some more. I sure enjoyed the visit. They are pulling on to Tucson in the morning and I'm getting the Navion ready to pull out on Sunday morning. I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to go get LP gas so I'll fill the Navion's LP tank at Roadrunner RV Park tomorrow so I don't have to wait for the gas company to open on Monday. Today has been fantastic with friends like Mike and Julie stopping by and good times with the 4 Cowgirls at the Curious Cumquat it just don't get any better.

Good, see you tomorrow evening. I should be all warmed up for you. There are 4 Cowgirl going to the Curious Cumquat with me for lunch tomorrow. Happy hour is becoming all Rally oriented. So I guess I'll stay away till after the rally. I think I'll go to City of Rocks Sunday and figure where I want to go from there. Maybe Caballo Lake State Park. I always enjoy my stay there but there are too many trees to do any Star Gazing. We have had more rain here than we need. The ditches are full of water and have no place to drain. Our storage area has turned into a mud hole. I'm sure glad I got the little trailer out when I did.

I sure hope you get reservations for Friday. We fill every night and all next week the park will be closed to all but Rally goers. I'm even leaving during rally week. I don't have to because I rent Annually but I just don't like rallies. If I don't find you in the park Friday give me a call or I could check Dream Catchers to see if you ended up there. I showed up at Holiday World in Las Cruces about 45 minutes early this morning. They took me right in and had it finished at 10:01. My appointment was for 10:00. The Sky Light seems to work just fine and latches the way it should. I guess my temper tantrum really worked. I'll have to try that more often. Now I'll take a Steve to celebrate.

Well, the little trailer is history. I spent most the day at DMV getting it signed over and re-registered to the gal that bought it from me. We sat in the Q for nearly 2 hours but this time we got it done with on the first trip to DMV. Bright and early in the morning I'll drive the Navion over to Las Cruces to Holiday World to get that gear box installed. I hope it goes at least as well. Then it's a trip to the Curious Cumquat in Silver city to keep the Cowgirls happy then I'm out of here again to where ever the road takes me until the rally is over. After all that is out of the way I'm thinking about a trip to Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l Monument if the weatherman will cooperate. Either that or go bounce around the lower level State Parks in eastern NM. This last storm covered the Northern State Parks with that funny looking white stuff so they are out until next Summer. I have to take my friend who wants to buy my Telescope up to Cosmic Campground in the first part of November but that will just be over night. Boy the time is flying by. October is nearly over and it seems like it only started last week.

Steve: That skylight is way to big (15" x 28") to cover with a MaxAir. It opens and closes with power but doesn't have a fan. There is a pleated sun shade and a pleated screen on the inside that open and close manually from opposite side of the frame which is vented around the sides. The gear mechanism just opens, closes and latches the big plexiglass lid on the top (roof). There is also a regular fantastic fan in the bathroom that I do have covered with a MaxAir. Its totally automatic and operates from a hand set. Push the button and it opens and the fan starts at the speed it was previously set at or at the temperature that was selected. Most of the people here went to the Pink Store down in Mexico today. That don't interest me at all so I'll have a nice quiet day here. I think I'll use the laundry to wash all my cleaning rags. My friend that moved down town came out and cleaned my trailer Sunday. ( It's a long story don't ask) so I have a pile of dirty rags now. Tomorrow I'll go to the DMV with the gal that bought my little trailer and get it all transferred to her name. I have to pull the trailer to DMV so they can inspect the VIN number without paying for a person to come from Las Cruces to look at it where it sets in storage. NM sure has some stupid laws. That's why I registered it in SD. Then Thursday I go to Las Cruces with the Navion for that sky light fix. And Friday I'm taking a couple of the Cowgirls to Silver City to the Courious Cumquat for lunch. I better go take a nice long Steve.

I just came back from the Doctor's office. He said come back and see me in about 4 months. I'll do that about March. Well it's still cold in 4 months. I'm not going to take my shoes off to help me count in such cold weather. The next thing on the calendar is taking the Navion to Holiday World on Thursday to have that gear box installed. I sure hope it fixes the Vent / Skylight problem. When that's out of the way, off I go again until after the rally. Then it's another trip to the Cosmic Campground with my Telescope for one night to show it to my friend Michael. He wants to buy it but I want him to know what he will or will not be able to see with it befor I'll sell it to him. Too many prople think they will see all those beautifull photos that Hubble takes but that is NOT the case. If he is really interested in learning the sky and whats out there then the scope is right for him but if it's Astrophotography he wants, It's the wrong type of mount for that.

It only got up to 65 degrees here today and spit rain most of the day. I got wet twice today trying to get my walk in. This evening after happy hour I dreaded siting inside the rest of the night so I loaded a bunch of Cowgirls into the truck and headed for the Adobe Deli. After listening to girl talk for 2 1/2 hours, I figured I could stand anything for the rest of the night. I really enjoyed the cool temperature but the drizzling rain can go to where ever it's needed. And by listening to the girls maybe I'll learn how to understand women. No other man has ever succeeded in that.

My pin box only weighs about 1/2 an ounce but maybe that's because I keep throwing away all the pins that have the point on the wrong end.

The wind did a little shake rattle and roll last night but left us with nice cool overcast weather today. We had a few spits of rain this morning while I was taking my walk but there was no danger of me being desolved. This afternoon I took a cowgirl out to lunch to a mexican restaurant I've never been to before. It's a little hole in the wall place but the food was very good. My guest had the fish tacos and said they were the best she has ever had. I was impressed by them making fresh lemonade a glass at a time using real lemons. It was very good. But I'll only give them a run of the mill rating on the Hamburger I ordered. But that comes natural when you order an American substitute in a Mexican restaurant. All in all a pleasing day.

Darn, I thought she would give me at least $20 to take you off her hands. I guess she figured that you would spend most of the time under Bessie Bus sleeping. She's been on to your tricks for years. ?

Tell Jim that it is much easier to freeze those fish after you catch them instead of catching them already frozen. 31 degees, that's too cold for any respectable full timer. I spent most of the day over in my shop just piddling around. I ended up ripping the elastic out of a fitted sheet that is too big for my beds. I'm going to make a smaller sheet that will fit. Either by making a smaller box sheet with no elastic or by adding gussets back to the corners to make it a flat sheet. And if that don't work I'll make some beautiful dust rags.

I had planned on going back up to the Cosmic Campground next Tuesday but the nice clear sky forcast has turned to a cloudy one with possible rain. So that is off. I checked the moon chart today and the moon will be favorable from about the 1st to the 13th of November. So I'm hoping to find some favorable weather in that time period. I'll probable go to Poncho Villa State Park during the rally here at our park. I think I'll make a deal with Carol to take Steve off her hands so he can fix my trailer every time something breaks. She would probably give me a good deal just to get him out from under foot. Then again it would probable cost too much in the long run trying to keep the Cranberry Juice flowing. LOL Good show Steve, the slid on my trailer was giving me trouble when I was coming back from my Niece's place this spring but seems to be working right again now. But now the Hot water tank won't heat on Propane.

I just came back to Deming on Sunday and I've got hitch itch already. My temper tantrum at Holiday World must have done some good. I got a call this morning saying the part was in and asking when I'd like an appointment to have it installed. I chose Thursday of next week 22 Oct. I have a doctors appointment on the 19th, and plan to go to that Cosmic Campground on the 20th with my scope and come back on the 21st. The Orionids peak on the morning of the 22nd but the weather looks iffy so I'll see what I can see Tuesday evening and call it good. Then the following week I'll go somewhere to get out of here during the Rally.

Only one problem. I don't have a cab over bed. Shucks I did it again.

Steve the tires on the Navion take half a day to check. You have to take the hub cover off to be able to take the wheel cover off then you use a short piece of thick rubber tubing to reach in and unscrew the valve cap then with a long truck air nozzle reach in and put air in. But if the sun is real bright you can't see the valve stem and need a pen light to find it in there. Then of course you have to reverse the whole process to put every thing back in order. If I had noticed that I would have bought some other type of RV. So much for German engineering. Other than moving all my Astronomy gear into the Navion today pot luck at the Ranch was the only other activity and every thing on the table had too much sodium for me to be eating. So I had a slice of pie and a glass of Cranberry juice (Red Rose) and called it a night.

A few more of my friend came in while I was away. Good to talk with them again. Now the task will be to find out how to carry all my telescope junk in the Navion. Not only do I have to find a place for the scope but my accessory case is almost as large as the scope then there is the tripod and telescope chair and power pack. If I take it all out of my trailer at the same time my trailer might float away. I'll have to steak it down. I took 2 cowgirls out to dinner tonight. I'm getting back in practice by adding cowgirls one at a time to ease back into my old habits.

JUST GO! I'm back in Deming.

The evening started out pretty cloudy but they dissipated just as it got dark. The skies were beautiful. There were so many stars showing that it was hard to pick out the constalations along the milky way. The Orionids meteor shower is coming up on the 21st. I think I'll come up here to watch it. Tonight we had one meteor that was bright enough to call it a fireball. It went half way across the sky before burning out and left a trail that lasted a few seconds. I love this place but sure wish there were more sites and much wider and smoother ones. The area where they have the telescope pads is fine and well drained but the pull through sites are covered with fist sized rocks and only about 10 feet wide. There is the start of another pad that looks like they are going to build an observatory with a roll off roof. I met the couple that are working with the Forest Service trying to get this place completed. They said the head Ranger is with them and willing to stick his neck out a bit to make it happen but money is tight and they need donations to help pay for it and to show the public is very interested in having it. The near by ranchers are all for it and willing to install proper outside lighting to keep the skies dark. The cattle come up close but don't come into the obsevation area. They are trying to get it certified as a dark sky area.

I'm about 8 miles north of Alma NM in a place called Cosmic Campground. It's a long way from any light source and sits in a shallow basin about a mile from hiway US 180. The forest service set it up for astronomy hobbyists. The sites aren't much but they have poured concrete pads to set telescope up on. I just found out about it this morning while eating breakfast and doing a little surfing. I don't have my scope with me but I just had to come up here to see how dark the skys are. According to the darkness map they are as dark as they can get. There are 4 or 5 other rigs here with scopes set up for tonight. I've met most of them and have been invited to join in with them this evening. A lady just came up to the door and invited me to a potluck they are having but I just got done with dinner. I'll go over there as soon as i post this.

You're right it won't work. Now let me see how can I make fun of you. Hummmmmm. A blue flame heater that is thermostatically controled is pretty big. About 20"x30" and has to be connected to the rigs low pressure LP gas line. Good try though so thanks. I have a little ceramic brick heater that works on one lb. Bottles to take the chill off in the morning. But I won't leave that on for long or while Steving. (New word.)

After yesterday's episode with the LP gas I was feeling a little funny and had one spell of my vision darkening. That evening I took my blood pressure and it was through the roof. I didn't bring my spare BP meds with me so I just took it easy and ate light. By noon today it was back down out of the danger level but still a little higher than my normal. I feel fine now and will be really aggressive on the salt intake for a while. I don't know if it was the scare of the LP incidence or I got too much salt taking the cowgirls out for dinner at Deming. But I'm giving both a lot of attention for a while. I got in several walks today but the wind has been about 20 mph all day and not really comfortable outside. It only got up to 67 degrees today. It's either too hot or too cold no in between. I'm going to try my 10 to 30 degree sleeping bag tonight with the heat pump off. If it works out without getting me either too warm or too cold I'll go back to Dry camping. I don't have any place I could put a blue flame heater in this rig. So, I'll try the warm sleeping bag deal and make a dive for it after getting up in the cold to go potty. I hope I don't miss and go out the back window.

I have no Idea what caused it Jeff. The regulator is high up under the coach with a steel plate under it and inclosed in a heave plastic box. It must have been a manufacturing defect. The gas was coming out the vent and there was no visual damage to the regulator body. After we took it off we put the air hose on the intake fitting and air rushed out the vent. Gas from the tank is at a much higher pressure than the air hose so that is what the hissing noise was. It was really loud. Idrove about a mile through heavy traffic with it hissing thinking the noise was coming from a business in the area and looking for a place to pull off the traffic lane.