<div>Bob, I just bought your online book. Really liked it. and yes this intro is about 3 months late.....Now with that out of the way, <br /><br />Howdy all,<br /><br />It started out easily enough, clear skies, seventy degrees or so, and unusual for Pahrump, a slight breeze of 3-5 miles per hour. The trailer pulled quite well and I was humming along with ABBA and Rossini (we’re all old enough to remember them right? (Well, only SOME of us were here with Rossini) and basically content in every way. I was headed for the summer rendezvous. <br /><br />Basically, I embraced this life because of how much I have always loved it, because of all the inner joy, freedom, and peace it brings me. Its the third and last time I have had a home I take with me. The first time was for six yrs., the second time for three, and this time it is for good. No more land locked living.</div><div> </div><div>Continuing…… I was cruising along on the way to the summer rendezvous and then BAM! A sound like a shotgun goes off and sure enough I have a blow out on the front axle on the passenger side of the trailer. Luckily, it only grazed the side of the trailer but the tire was a goner, as in totally, completely, and forever. The only thing holding the trailer up on that side was the rear second axle. So, for about 3 miles or so I moved along the shoulder of the highway at about 5mph praying that the wheel (the one with the blowout) itself would be OK and not hit the ground and bend or distort in any way. Hallelujah! The town in California is Delano (never heard of it prior to today). The off ramp is just ahead and down (the ramp) I go. The sound from the tire is even worse now, or at least it seems so in my mind. Get to the tire place and it’s a regular assembly line with about 6 cars getting tires changed and about 10 cars in line waiting. Who would have thunk it? My turn comes and the boss says move it over there (in Spanish no less, which fortunately I understand). I tell him no way I am moving my trailer another inch with a tire on it that looks like a reject from Chernobyl. He grins and says OK and gets one of his guys to get a floor jack. $85 dollars and an hour and forty five minutes and I’m on my way. Ragged start to a great day, so I press onward. </div><div> </div><div>With only a minor hitch in my gitalong so far, I start up the mountain toward Shaver Lake. WOW! 32 miles of winding road that at times is often just wide enough for the trailer. Naturally, I pull over at least 600 times to lets cars go by. OK, not that many, but it sure seemed like it. It’s a bit insane the way cars went and came around those curves carrying too much speed and having to make last minute corrections to avoid hitting me or anyone who happened to be in front of me. Life is just too short. A couple of cars wanted to pass sooner than I could let them, and when they finally did, they gave me the one finger salute. Personally, I have better things to do than lower myself to that level with any response although it was tempting. <br /><br /></div><div>I arrive at the small town of Shaver Lake and stop for some libations and snacks and proceed up the mountain to the rendezvous point in a small meadow. Searched for a somewhat level spot and found it near the entrance of the meadow but somewhat withdrawn from it but under a few trees and it kept the trailer a bit cooler during the day. It was level enough so at least the fridge worked well, so I was a happy camper. I arrived 9 days after the RTR started so I missed many of the participants, but I did manage to meet a Steve who left in the morning the day after I arrived, 4-wheel drive Steve, AKBob. Paul in the class B, Jim and Kendall, VJ, Tex, and Cheri. Everyone lived in or had a van except for yours truly. Simply put, I had a great time even though that time was short at 3½ days. I also got along with every single dog there (somehow that didn't come out out right) and many of them sought me out when they saw me around. There was Homer, Zeke, Stetson, Heidi, Savannah, and Toni (sorry Cheri, of all of them, I don’t remember your dog’s name for sure). All of them got along with me and never failed to join me wherever I went. VJ gave me the name Dogman, it kind of stuck, and so I made it my moniker for this group. I think if I ever do get to come back for a second life, I’ll definitely be a veterinarian for certain. Decided that I’ll either get solar or a generator for sure and also that I’ll be at the January RTR. You folks are a terrific bunch. <br /><br />Dogman </div><div> </div>
Howdy and a brief intro
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