Lots of Snow

Well we finally made it up to the lake lot today. Sunday 12/28) We left around 8 in the morning, stopped for coffee and picked up a couple of sandwiches for lunch arriving around 11:30 at the lake. Our neighbor John's driveway was plowed and since we share the approach we parked in the driveway and had our sandwich before climbing thought the mountains of snow to check things out. There is LOTS! of snow there. almost 2 feet deep on the level. "Poor lonely coach"

From December 08 at the Lake

I shoveled the snow a way from the doors, and off the solar panel for the coach then checked around the lot. Other than a few rabbit and wood chuck tracks nothing to be seen. The rabbits haven't even chewed off any baby trees yet. I don't remember seeing the snow this deep this early before. Looks like we will be replenishing the ground water this year.

From December 08 at the Lake

We waded through the snow to check out the shed and found the usually rabbit freeway under the shed's deck for the winter. I suppose under all the snow many of our shrubs are getting chewed off.

Even as cold as it is barely above zero. The spring at the edge of our beach still keeps the ice from freezing.

From December 08 at the Lake

We didn't last long both our fingers were freezing up. Margaret went back to car to warm up but I managed to get down to the lake and snap a few picture.

Cold in Minnesota

Last year in Minnesota the lakes didn't even freeze fully until January 15th. well this year we shot that all to hell! Real winter is back in Minnesota just like it use to be in the old days! It has been snowing almost every or every other day for the last couple weeks. Not much snow, but enough to make a mess on the roads. It also COLD! we have had a couple of days less than -20 and plenty below zero and its not even Christmas yet.

View from the Porch on this cold day

We were going to go up North to the lake to check on the coach and the lot, but the snow storm this weekend canceled that idea. Maybe next weekend after Christmas we will go. So for this weekend I'm just sitting in the corner staying warm and working on the computer.

At the lake in November

Its November 22nd and the temperatures have been hanging around the low to mid 20s. We thought that we should head up to the lake for the weekend to check out the Coach and see if everything was OK. The Coach needs to have the batteries recharged and the fluid levels checked periodically as well as start the engine and let it warm up. It was suppose to be a warm weekend as far as weekends go in Minnesota in November. We left early Saturday morning heading out on the 3 hour drive to the lake lot.

We stopped at Menards along the way to get some small propane canisters and look at an electric heater as a backup / assist to the furnace for heating the Coach. We were going to stay overnight and it was suppose to get into the low 20's.

We arrived early afternoon at the lake and opened the Coach and turned on the electricity. Started up the furnace and the electric heaters settling in for the evening.

From Nov Coach Camping

We grilled a couple of steaks on the grill on a slightly snow covered deck and had happy hour in the Coach setting in front of the fake Fireplace we have. (Hey if nothing else it gives ambiance).

After happy hour, dinner and a little TV we retired to the bedroom with books. I had set up the new little electric heater in the bedroom to help keep it warm overnight, but after about an hour I moved it out as it got too hot in the bedroom to keep it running in there. So the electric heater sat out in the main Coach area with the Furnace set on 50 degrees for the night. The furnace never turned on all night the little heater keep the Coach above 50 degrees.

As we work towards downsizing and taking off on our traveling lifestyle it has occurred to me that I really can't have two vehicles. Since the little Honda S2000 sports car while good on gas mileage is going to be  a poor choice to tow behind a motor coach and not really comfortable so it probably is going to have to go. (How sad is that?) I loved that car.  

 

Also since the current "Real" vehicle our 2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade is leased and its lease is about up we have to do something. 

 

Recently it’s all over the news that the car companies are struggling and they have some really good deals available out there so maybe now is the time to check it out?  

That's the thought anyway behind why we ended up down at the Jeep dealer's lot on Saturday morning looking at new Jeep Liberties. Guess what the car companies really are hurting, because they are dumping old late models Liberties at close to $10,000 off the new list price! So after determining that we could turn in our old 2005 Liberty and not have to make the remaining 3 payments give them out beautiful S2000 on trade we could walk away with a new 2008 Liberty for about $12,000. Given you never get a deal when you buy a new car We didn't think that was too bad.  

 

So there you have it now we have one vehicle a 2008 Liberty Limited. It also is much more comfortable that the old Renegade (See them both in the picture above) and even though it looks bigger it is the same size

 

October 13th 2008 Started Blogger

I set up both bloggers today one for Margaret and one for myself and added a few pages and photos to the website.