Big Ol' Bug Smacker

It is time again for our 3rd annual 4th of July camping trip. Like the last 2 years we met several of our friends and family at the Clear Lake State Park near Atlanta, Michigan. This year we occupied 6 campsites in all.

On the 4th we all came together for our traditional potluck picnic. We counted 24 people for the picnic this year. We were even joined by several non-RVers. We enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, meatballs, salads, beans, kabobs, pies and more. It makes me hungry just thinking of all the food. We then played ladder ball and bocce ball. Later in the evening we sat around the campfire and ate Smores. It was a great time.

This year the park introduced a host camper. Not sure exactly what he was responsible for (and either was the park worker I asked) but I think he had something to do with the bike parade. My nephew even won 1st place for his patriotic bicycle decorations. I think the fact that he was also one of the few riders wearing protective gear may have helped persuade the judges as well.

My brother-in-law talked me into heading into Atlanta to do a bit of canoeing down the Thunder Bay River. Six of us went, including my niece and her girlfriend. I believe the two of them had a little more fun than the rest of us. I have never seen a canoe go down the river sideways before.

While I was off floating down the river, my wife found some Alpena strawberries and made jam. Alpena berries are some of the best in the state. I sure am glad she found them and took the time to make the jam.

In the evening, we took a ride out into the state forest area to look for elk. Along the way we stopped at what we loving refer to as “Enright Rock”. This was a good opportunity to take a couple of quick snapshots.

I asked this young man how he would rate the time he had at the picnic this year.

 He gave it his best highest rating!

He said it was simply PHENOMENAL!

This was another good 4th of July. I can’t wait for it to come around again next year.

Today we lost our beloved friend and camping companion. I am having a real hard time putting words together to describe just how much she meant to our family.

She will be missed but, never forgotten. Happy camping, Monet.

It is that time again. It’s time to gather up food for the long cold Michigan winter. It’s time to go huntin’!

At Deer Camp this year we had a full house. Besides my wife and me, we had both of the boys and their girlfriends… OH and don’t forget Mo (our dog). My dad camped along side of us in his 5th wheel. He was joined by my youngest brother.

For dinner we went to the El-Bo Inn north of Atlanta, Michigan. This place had a 1-pound hamburger that I have to say I was barely able to put away. We were sad to find out that they no longer offer this burger. Even though the the menu and the sign outside both proudly display the text “home of the one-pound burger”. Go figure.

My dad and brother both had successful hunts this year. My father got his first buck in quite some time. He must have decided that he didn’t want anyone taking deer from his hunting spot anymore. As you recall my oldest son, Jason got 2 deer there last year.

As for our group, guess we are going to go hungry this year. It’s going to be a LONG winter!

Noisy RV Water Pump

Tim R. Enright

The first thing we noticed when we got our new RV was how loud the water pump was when we used it. The first time the dog heard it, she about tore through the door trying to get away from it. After that incident we had to do something. Here are a few things you can do to help reduce the level of noise of your pump.

A couple of things you can try prior to spending very much money, are to add some rubber insulators between the pump mount and the place it is fastened to your RV. Also if your pump has hard tubing attached to it, try replacing the section fastened to the pump with flexible tubing. This will prevent vibration from being transferred down the piping.

If these things don’t seem to do the job, replacing the pump with a new one will most likely help. Many new RV’s may not have the best pumps. Some real good ones can be found for under $100.00 dollars. You could also add an Accumulator Tank. This will allow your system to stay pressurized so the pump will not need to go on every time you need water.

Article Courtesy of : www.BugSmacker.com : Copyright © 2007

Grand Casino Hinckley RV Resort is located in Hinckley, Minnesota. This RV resort is one of the nicest RV parks we have ever been to. The park has 222 sites. Each site offers full hookups, cable TV and a picnic table. It also provides Wi-Fi throughout the park and to my amazement it works quite well. Most parks tend to have a problem in this area.

There is also a Guest lodge with convenience store, fireplace and laundry facilities. There was an outdoor pool, basketball court, volleyball court, shuffleboard court and horseshoe pit. For children there were 2 play areas. For pets there was a pet walking area. If you would like to go to the casino, just raise the flag at the end of your site and the casino shuttle will pick you up.

On this particular night we had quite the scare. The weather had just turned for the worst and at 2AM in the morning the trailer started violently rocking back and forth. Within minutes we heard sirens and then security vehicles with PA speakers informing us to evacuate the RV Park and proceed to the casino. This was an excellent idea since a trailer is no place to be when a tornado comes through.

When we arrived at the casino there was an eerie calm in the air. Upon entering the building I recall hearing a lady at a slot machine saying “ When did they start letting dogs and children in the casino?” We stayed until the storm had passed.

We returned to find that our Fifthwheel had survived the storm. Other people were not so lucky. Several people had minor damage to their units like blown away awnings.  This was a night I will never forget. We were real lucky that night.

We went for the weekend at Pettit Park.  The fall colors were great.  It is now later in the camping season and we are the only ones in the park, which makes for a peaceful setting.

Apples have fallen from a nearby tree and we were able to watch the deer up close when they came out to eat each morning and evening. 

For dinner we walked to a nearby Pizza place to pick up a pizza.  While we were away, our dog Monet, was in a portable fold up kennel inside the RV.  This was the first time we left Mo alone in our RV and we thought the kennel would make her feel secure.  Sometime while we were gone, she got scared and ripped the door open on the kennel.  We figured this must have been due to the noise our water pump makes when it runs, because we noticed we left the switch on.    We will need to do something about the noise our pump makes before our next trip.  I don’t think we will be using a kennel again; she seems to be more comfortable and secure on her rug.