(Still on-the-road.....in Sarasota, FL)

I have left the boon-docking in Ocala and moved to Sarasota, FL, for the Florida Airstream Rally. The purpose of this Rally is to gather for fun and learning……and possibly purchasing supplies!

Oh what fun……walking through the vendor rows and finding just the right item. On my first day there, I found exactly what I needed to keep those mosquitoes out of my trailer. It is a special felt-like fuzz that blocks those pests from entering through the window controls. (I’ve been looking for it for a couple of years now.)

After purchasing the fuzz, I walked further down the aisle. And then I saw the booth that I really wanted to see. There it was……the weighing booth. I casually approached (keeping my fingers crossed the whole time) and inquired if there were still openings for getting weighed. Yes! Yes! Yes!

I paid my money and got my weigh-in times and my homework assignment.

I am thrilled. I am going to get my truck and trailer weighed. This is so important! This is so important! (Did I say that twice?)

As you can imagine, the weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer must be within specifications. Weighing at a truck-stop scale is good, but it doesn’t give axle-by-axle and wheel-by-wheel weights. The vendor at the Rally is going to give me that information!

I’ll keep you out of suspense. My truck and trailer are each UNDER the limits! And, all of my axles are within 100 pounds SIDE-TO-SIDE! This is just about the best news that I could have imagined. I can actually add a few pounds to the trailer and truck if I want. I just might bring my atlas back into the trailer!

So long for now.

Suzanne

(I'm still on the road.....in Ocala National Forest, FL)

The other thing that draws a crowd (besides an open tool box) is a lone woman backing her truck to the trailer to connect up for departure. My last ten connections have been darn near flawless……which means, of course, that the departure from Ocala was abysmal.

I have a very nice hitch. The wonderful advantage of my hitch is that it is so very secure while traveling down the road. When that 18-wheeler screams by at 75 mph, the vortex it creates has very little effect on my rig (don’t I sound like a seasoned driver?). The disadvantage of my hitch is that it can be a pill to connect to the truck!

Well, I certainly swallowed the pill in Ocala. After twelve attempts, I decided it was time to pull out the tool that my friend Jim had made and given me for just such an occasion. (He would have been prouder of me if I had pulled it out at attempt # 1.) I assembled the magic tool and imediately knew what the problem was.

I was backing in at the wrong angle!

The angle on the first twelve attempts had looked perfect. (Not only to my eyes, but also to the eyes of the crowd.) So, I sheepishly got in the truck for the thirteenth time and backed up…….on a dead-even line to the hitch this time.

The crowd cheered! Twelve tries and one success!

I heard polite applause, and then the crowd slowly disappeared. I finished battening down the trailer and then pulled forward. A few folks leaned out of their trailer and waved good-bye.

I departed and looked for the nearest Dairy Queen.

Talk with you later.

I came to Ocala to boon dock so that I could enjoy a more natural nature. I do enjoy camping in organized nature parks, and I camp in them frequently. But organized parks usually have lots of people and, therefore, less nature.

Please don’t get me wrong. My idea of enjoying nature is to bring my bed, refrigerator, shower, and kitchen sink and then watch in comfort while a black bear wanders through the campsite. And part of this comfort is to have coffee in the morning. Since boon docking means no electricity, coffee must be prepared without using my beloved 4-cup electric drip pot. (It also has a timer to be brewed before I wake up!)

So, to make my coffee, I purchased an enamel percolator. On the first morning, I filled the basket with coffee and then filled the pot with water. The water promptly leaked out. NOT GOOD. I checked the pot, and I could then see that the enameling did not completely coat the metal. The joint was not sealed!

I have water, and I have coffee…..just how did those travelers on wagon trains manage to make their coffee?

The answer is Cowboy Coffee! Go to google or yahoo or whatever you use, and type in Cowboy Coffee. You’ll find recipes, but I’ll give you the recipe that I use!

To make cowboy coffee………

Boil one quart water in a saucepan.
Add ¾ cup ground coffee.
Boil again, but just enough to get the grounds wet.
Remove from heat and cover.
Wait until grounds sink….about five minutes.

It really is delicious. You’ll like it! And, you will figure out how to pour the coffee without getting the grounds.

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

Quick and short summary…..the solar panels are probably OK, and I was using too much electricity when I was in Sebring.

Quick and short summary……after two days of boon docking, my batteries were in the red! Either the solar panels weren’t working, or I was using way too much electricity. I’ll have a better idea in the Ocala National Forest when I join a group who are very familiar with solar panels.

So long for now.