2023 Estelline Trip

[JEBar]

things around Estelline were very dry when we arrived in June .... about 2 weeks later we had a heavy rain that was reported to have come at a really good time for the local crops .... since then we've had on and off showers and the crops in the immediate are look great .... we learned this morning we had 1.2" last night .... the rain fall has varied widely in one storm a relative in De Smet had 10" while her son's place a few miles away had just over 2"

[dave77]

I can't imagine what 10" of rain would be like, around here even over 1" is very rare. Our average yearly rain fall is only 9".

[JEBar]

with the overnight temperature dropping to 54, we had to turn on the camper fireplace for a little while this morning .... its supposed to get up to 81 later today with no rain and a light 4 mph (gust to 7 mph) wind out of the southwest .... still making minor steps toward breaking camp Friday .... our flag and flag lightint has been taken down and stored .... today I hope to organize and repack the camper's basement and will most likely take down and store our outdoor cooking area

[JEBar]

a weather related record was set yesterday back home .... that being the highest ever heat index of 115 .... 65 this morning in Estelline on its way to 90 later this afternoon .... the predicted high tomorrow returns to much more normal 75 .... later this morning we plan to make our last shopping trip prior to pulling out Friday morning .... we also plan to continue packing/storing items for travel

[JEBar]

our last full day in Estelline has dawned and a beautiful day it is .... 57 earlier, 63 now, on its way to 75 later today .... 9 mph wind out of the NNW, gusting to 17 mph .... no rain .... today will be a busy one that will include disassembling and storing our camper deck, removing/recharging/storing a water softener, a good bit of laundry, etc, etc, etc, etc ....

[Shakey Jake]

It's another hot one here in Texas. Have a safe journey back home!
Jake

[JEBar]

we are up and at it .... very little left to be done outside where its 52 degrees .... once slides are in I do have to replace a couple of tire pressure sensors and check the air pressure on all 10 tires .... that shouldn't take much time but I learned long ago to not take such things for granted ..... hope to be uptown picking up over $3,000 worth of South Dakota steaks at 9AM ... shortly thereafter we should be able to answer the age old question : Where's the beef?

[JEBar]

well, all's well but it sure didn't start out that way .... we were hooked up, the camper's slides pulled in and I turned on our tire pressure monitoring system so as to replace some sensor batteries .... finally found that a new battery didn't fix the sensor for the inside rear dually tire on the passenger side .... further inspection determined that the tire had no tire pressure, YEP it was flat .... unhooked and drove down the street to the CoOp station a couple of blocks away .... they were booked solid but agreed to take a look .... the problem turned out to be the connector tube that connected the inner tires valve stem to a location where it could be easily used .... nope, they didn't have a replacement so I had them install the sensor directly on the OEM valve stem .... it worked ..... 2 1/2 hours late we were on the road .... drove into a strong headwind for almost all the way from Estelline to where we are now camped in Nebraska City .... our truck ran well but that headwind really caused her to guzzle diesel .... we are now settled in for the evening, tomorrow's drive should take us to St Louis where we will spend a couple of days

[markiver54]

well, all's well but it sure didn't start out that way .... we were hooked up, the camper's slides pulled in and I turned on our tire pressure monitoring system so as to replace some sensor batteries .... finally found that a new battery didn't fix the sensor for the inside rear dually tire on the passenger side .... further inspection determined that the tire had no tire pressure, YEP it was flat .... unhooked and drove down the street to the CoOp station a couple of blocks away .... they were booked solid but agreed to take a look .... the problem turned out to be the connector tube that connected the inner tires valve stem to a location where it could be easily used .... nope, they didn't have a replacement so I had them install the sensor directly on the OEM valve stem .... it worked ..... 2 1/2 hours late we were on the road .... drove into a strong headwind for almost all the way from Estelline to where we are now camped in Nebraska City .... our truck ran well but that headwind really caused her to guzzle diesel .... we are now settled in for the evening, tomorrow's drive should take us to St Louis where we will spend a couple of days

I hope your troubles/glitches are behind you and that the remainder of your trip is safe and pleasant.

[JEBar]

I hope your troubles/glitches are behind you and that the remainder of your trip is safe and pleasant.

good wishes appreciated .... that would really be nice

[Shakey Jake]

Glad you got off without too much of a hassle. Hope today goes better for you.
Jake

[BigAl52]

Pulling those big 5ers in the wind isnt much fun I dont care how much truck or horsepower you have. Maybe you will get lucky and get some tail push to make up some fuel mileage

[JEBar]

after driving down I-29 from Estelline to Kansas City we exited onto I-70 and headed east .... during a planned fuel stop just east of KC I noticed a camper tire that was coming apart .... haven't able to find a mobile tire service or source to get the tire replaced .... we are setup in Trail Side RV park and with today being Saturday we don't have much hope of finding anything before Monday .... will add more later ....

[BigAl52]

Glad you caught that. Didn’t you just put those on not long ago?

[JEBar]

replaced the off door side tires in June when we got to Estelline .... the door side ones looked worn but fine .... that turned out to be wrong .... should have replaced all 4

[Shakey Jake]

Hope you can get back on the road quickly. It's good to check the tires at stops. I got into a habit of doing that on my cars while driving long distances.
Jake

[JEBar]

TIRE PROBLEMS RESOLVED ---- well at least we hope they are .... this morning I was on the phone with Evan (ESquared) when one of the tire services I left a message with yesterday returned the call .... bottom line, they are booked to come here tomorrow and to bring 2 Hankook G rated tires with them .... we hope to get back on the road on Tuesday .... talk about hot, they are calling for a high of 108 here today with a RealFeel of 111

[Hatchdog]

Dang Jim, hope you have all the gremlins behind you and have smooth sailing the rest of the way.

[JEBar]

we certainly hope so

Evan (ESquared) from this forum just left .... it was really good to see him again and to meet his pup Rupee .... Rupee is the only dog Maureen's pup Zena has been willing to play with .... we are now in the process of changing campground reservations which we hope will get us home this Friday

[ESquared]

Great to see you and Maureen (and Zena!) today, Jim! It's been too long (pre-Covid) since we'd touched base.

Glad you got your tire issues sorted out and sorry I couldn't have been of more immediate help (as in: YESTERDAY), but sounds like you'll be back on the road soon!

Safe travels and Hello to all my HRF buddies!