~Friday, October 22, 2021~
Day 495
Blustery winds this morning, so much so, that I had to make a quick exodus outside the trailer to take down our “fun” lights before rolling in those awnings. We really didn’t feel like spending $3,000 unnecessarily.
Some strange things are going on with the trailer, inconsistent annoyances. In other words, if you’re going to give us a headache, bring it on full strength to make things easier to solve. The freshwater tank is leaking on the outside, but didn’t leak the last time we had water hookups. I guess we were hoping the simulated earthquake that happens on move days would naturally fix things on their own. Wishful thinking. Basically what’s happening is the city water we’re hooked up to is slowly filling the fresh water tank, which it’s supposed to bypass. When the tank is full, it overflows on the outside of the trailer, which leads Jeff to think it’s a malfunctioning valve. Could be an easy fix, or a complete brain teaser. So we’re adding it to the list for when we’re back in California. Things will just be easier to fix there in terms of finding parts.
The other maddening item is the shower. Some days it leaks, some days not. Today, it leaked only when Jeff was in it. O.k babe…..the singing and dancing in the shower has gotten out of control. 😉Again, this could be a nightmare fix or one that is so simple, you’d wonder why you didn’t solve it sooner. This too will be tackled once we get back to California. All in all, these kinds of problems do happen, especially when you’re full-timing it. And despite the headaches which really have been very few, we couldn't be happier with our purchase. Lance makes a top-notch product; built like a tank! I really shudder to think where we’d be in terms of the fix-it list, if we had cheaped out.
It has been quite a few days between hikes, so Sadie was rarin’ to go. We found out about a great woodland/waterfall trail called the Lye Brook Falls Trail. Well-marked with blue blazes, this was a very steady, gradual slope. Total miles...4.4 out and back.
The first mile or so leads you on an old logging railroad grade which is raised about 5 feet from the forest floor (berms on either side of the trail). We’d never seen anything like it before in the middle of a forest. After that well-defined path, the trail becomes a bit more challenging, not in steepness, but in terrain. The smoothness turned into bowling ball size rocks that you had to walk on the remainder of the way to the falls. Some rocks were embedded, others loose (great way to break an ankle). The colored fallen leaves over the rocks made it even more challenging to see where you were stepping. Despite the challenges, it was a stunning hike. Much of the forest was mixed with greens (wonder if those leaves will ever change) and yellows, with an occasional spot of red. Evidently, a 1995 cyclonic storm was the reason for many fallen trees that we had seen. You know you’re getting close to the Falls as the sound of the plunge increases. It’s really not a thunderous waterfall, but more of a cascading beauty. Lye Brook Falls, at 125 feet tall, is one of the tallest waterfalls in Vermont,
and what a treat it was! You can actually hike up a little further, though slippery, to get a closer look and a better overall view of it. There’s something so revitalizing about all this hiking we’re doing. The connection to nature has ALWAYS been important to us. When we have more than a 4-day drought, we’re just itchin’ to get back out there. Most of the time, there are rewards of seeing things most people don’t get to see. And it’s great for our Sadie. I swear she has the same boundless energy she had at 1. People always stop and ask us if she’s a pup, with their usual reaction being one of surprise when we tell them she is middle-aged at 7. I think she ran more today than usual since we hadn’t been on a big hike for more than a week. She will sleep well tonight for sure!
Our evening was spent with an amazing Ahi dinner, Zucchini Fritters and garlic mashed potatoes. Jeff made the fish and potatoes, while I whipped up the fritters. Yum, yum! And for dessert…..catch up phone calls with my sis and bro-in-law, then our grandson Easton. Great to catch up with everyone. We’re beyond excited to see my sister and Tim in New Orleans in the coming weeks, though it will be a short 2 day visit for them. As Tim says, there'll be no time for sleep!! And we got to watch our grandson Easton finally open his birthday gift from us…..a Hot Wheels Track set. His response of “No Way”, at the age of 4, basically summed up the reaction. But, there was a slight problem…...no ‘D’ batteries in sight. We had the package mailed from Amazon with the inability to ship batteries. Well, at least he can put it together tonight and get it up and running tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be dreaming about it all night.