Day: May 12, 2011

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The Deed is Done

I think that only an RVer can appreciate how much work is needed to pull out of a spot just to go dump. I was completely packed up, unplugged, and fed by 5:30. Jody had said she’d arrive ‘sometime after six’ so I curled up in the back with a novel and my two kitties to wait. She arrived around 6:15 and with very little fanfare helped me out of my spot. I then headed downtown on nearly clear roads. I love driving the rig by itself!

The dump station at the Chinkook Travel Centre was super easy to get into. It’s not a bad setup, but their dumps are about three inches off the ground so waste can back up the hose which was to be an issue…

I went into the rig to flush with clean water, misjudged my angle of approach with the jug, and ended up having to mop up two inches of clean water off the toilet room floor. But at least the black tank was empty! And my floor is clean!

I then went out to flush the grey. Before I could do that, I somehow dislodged the hose from the piece that screws onto the motorhome and, wham, I had a small mess on my hands because the hose was still full, and no hose handy for rinsing except for my white one! I decided to deal with the sewer hose first, screwing it back onto the connector properly, and then I spent about five minutes guiding the contents down towards the dump. Once the hose was empty I pulled on the grey valve to flush and that happened uneventfully. This was by far the worst dump I’ve done since Kapuskasing!

Thanking my lucky stars that I had no witnesses (at least, I hope), I moved the rig ahead away from the mess and spent about ten minutes washing the pad clean with gallon after gallon of fresh water. Satisfied that all was good, I packed up and headed back to Jody and Gary’s arriving around 7:30. I’d been gone only an hour!

Jody and I had a little snack and gab while waiting for Gary to come home. When he did, he wasted no time getting me settled back in. Since we wanted Miranda in the exact spot I was in two hours previously and there were tire ruts to guide us it was very easy to get me back in. We set up my porch and then I reconnected everything.

Neelix was unimpressed by this exercise. Soon as we pulled in front of the house to park and wait for Gary he did his little “Mom!” meow as though to say “Wait, we were just here!” Tabitha seems to have napped during the whole event, though.

Well, it’s been a day I’ve been dreading, but it’s done and I know I won’t have to do this again for another six weeks!

By which point I plan to have mortgaged the rig to buy a macerator pump… 😀

 

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Simplicity Can Be More Complicated

We’ve come to the time of year when I start to crave iced coffee. I usually just cold brew my own since coffee shops charge a lot more for the cold variety than they do the hot. But McDonald’s is having a promotion right now for any size of cold beverage at $1, including their oh-so-delicious iced coffee.

Regardless of which McDonald’s I go to and where, the following conversation, almost verbatim, ensues every single time. This wouldn’t be worth a post if it didn’t always happen!

Me: Hi, I’d like a (size) plain iced coffee, no syrup, half the cream.

McDonalds: What kind of iced coffee?

Me: Plain. No syrup, half the cream.

McDonalds: You just want cold coffee and cream?

Me: Yes. Cold coffee and half the cream.

McDonalds: Sugar?

Me: No, thank you. Just cold coffee and half the cream.

The cashier then takes my order, still looking puzzled, and goes to the person who makes the iced coffee.

Cashier: Can you make me an iced coffee, no syrup, half the cream?

Coffee maker: No syrup, half the cream? Just cold coffee with cream?

Cashier: That’s what she wants.

Coffee maker (to me): What kind of iced coffee do you want?

Me: Plain. No syrup. Just cold coffee and half the cream.

Coffee maker: (makes my drink at last!) Sugar?

Me: No, thank you, that’s perfect!

It boggles me, really, since they have no problem with my order for hot coffee with half a cream. I think the cold coffee is seen as being a dessert more than a beverage. There’s no other way to explain it!

I’ll be making my own again soon enough, with skim milk instead of cream, and lots of cinnamon, but in the mean time, it’s fun to confound people. 😀

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Preparing to Pull Out

Well, the dreaded day has arrived: I have to pull out to go dump. Yuck! A macerator has suddenly become a priority, especially since the dump station is 20km round trip!

Jody should be available around 6PM to help me pull out and then both she and Gary should be there around 8PM to help guide me back in. Having help is going to reduce the stress of this a lot. There is plenty of room to manoeuvre, but also lots of opportunity for hitting something. Gary and Jody are RVers themselves and are excellent guides. I’ve had times going into tight spots where no help was better than the help available, but this is not the case here!

I was a bit surprised to discover last night that my gas tank was almost empty! I try to never park with less than a quarter tank of gas, but I guess that all the excitement of arrival day made me forget to check the fuel gauge before parking! Instead of adding a trip to a gas station to tonight’s itinerary I simply added 20L of fuel from a jerry can, which brought me up to nearly a quarter full, so I could easily do 150km. The only gas station on this side of Lethbridge that has sufficient clearance for Miranda would be nightmare to get in and out of, so doing the jerry can thing really made the most sense. I can get a bit more fuel on the other side of town where there will be more options.

I was also going to fill the on board propane tank but decided against it since doing so would double my trip and my 30lber is nowhere near empty. 40km round trip in a motorhome is A LOT of fuel! I have to say that for a city this size, Lethbridge is very propane unfriendly.

Well, I’d better finish packing…

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A Year With Telus Mobility Internet

I’ve been using Telus mobility for a year now to get online on the road. I am polarized in my sentiments about this company.

The pros are strong: 1) coverage is fantastic, 2) speeds are equivalent to high speed once you get into the southern part of the country, 3) the service is reliable.

The cons are also strong: 1) their plans stop at 5GB/month ($65 + tax), 2) an extra GB is $51  (5 cents per MB).

I went over my allotment this past month and imagine it will be very hard not to all summer, and that’s without downloading anything that isn’t absolutely vital and not watching videos!

This morning, I called the Telus department and asked to be transferred to their retention department. There was absolutely nothing they could do for me in terms of reducing my monthly bill or giving me a discount on the per MB cost of going over my allotment.  It was pretty much “That’s what it is, feel free to go with someone else.” They have you over a barrel because the other providers have similar terms and prices.

However, Telus has a new device out called a Smart Hub. It’s a 4G router. This device has much better plan options, $70 plus tax for 10GB and $20 per GB over that. The catch, of course, is that without a contract the device costs $400. Moreover, the device has to be powered.

I can see that this Smart Hub is the best option in Canada for mobile internet right now. It’s still not a great option for me, but I am trolling Craigslist and Kijjijji for a contract takeover.

I’m going to reinvestigate my US options. Last year, I could go with Verizon wireless for about $150 a month and have coverage in both the US and Canada. If I do end up spending part of my year south of the border such an arrangement would make a lot more sense. I just pulled up the Verizon website and the options have increased so I’m going to have to start my research from scratch. Plus, I need to make sure they are the best choice, coverage-wise.

It’s so frustrating to have a fantastic mobile connection and be so limited in my bandwidth. I have some software updates to do and will need to pack up the office and go to a Starbucks or other wifi hotspot to do them. If Telus were more reasonable in their cost per extra GB, say $10 each, I’d just stick with them and gladly pay my overages every month.