(10-02-2026 09:19 AM)olliebaba Wrote:  What part of southern Arizona, Triple? If you don't know Tucson and Phoenix are part of southern Arizona but I don't think you would want any part of it. They are big cities and a hassle to drive around, I know because I've meandered around those two towns. Besides, Tucson is not a pretty city and Phoenix is way to big. Try Yuma, it's not cold in the winter and it's miserbly hot in the summer but it's a small town. My son lives there but he's gotten used to the blazing heat.

Oh hell no, not Phoenix or Tucson. Somewhere compatible to RV snowbirds. Like Quartzsite, for example. Or maybe south TX or the Hill Country.

Meanwhile, here is my current tentative travel plan for the next few weeks:

Now-Oct 4, Sioux City IA
Oct 5 - en route to Wall SD
Oct 6 -7 Wall SD
Oct 8-14 Rushmore area
Oct 15-18 en route to Moab UT
Oct 19-24 Utah Mighty 5 (Arches NP, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion)
Oct 25 Page AZ
Oct 26-28 Grand Canyon South
Oct 29-30 Flagstaff AZ
Oct 31 Sedona AZ
Nov 1 - TBD Phoenix and Tucson, then south TX

It's good that you'll be in Flagstaff, it's a pretty town and not so hot in the summer and you'll also get snow in winter.

Update. I have been waiting on a broken trailer part to be ordered, shipped and replaced since Wednesday. Been stuck in Sioux City, Iowa, since then. Just got a call that the trailer is now ready, so I should get back on the road this afternoon.

By tomorrow night, if all goes well, I should finally make it to the Minuteman Missile site and Wall Drug, the first targeted tourist sites on my journey to wherever.

I might stop by the Corn Palace in Mitchell tomorrow morning. Kind of corny (haha), but it's a start. I'm tired of just driving around in circles and seeing nothing yet. Kitsch tourism starts tomorrow.

Well, crap. I can't figure out how to post pics here from my phone.

(10-07-2026 06:04 AM)TripleA Wrote:  Well, crap. I can't figure out how to post pics here from my phone.

it's a pain in the arse ... you have to upload to a site (like imgBB.com) and then copy from there and use the "[img] [/img]" feature on this site...

that's the only way I know how to do it...

Triple A I'll post the picture for you but I dont know why you wanted to some things should be private and stayed in Sioux City IA...quickly forgot about

What Triple A did not say about why his trailer broke. It went a rocking then he hear the knocking

LOL. Nah, more innocent than that. I should have gone to RV school before l headed out into the wilderness alone.

When I was hitching up the trailer the other night, I didn't have one of the sway bars inserted far enough into the truck hitch. The holding pin went in fine, but it missed the bar. Bar fell out, luckily while I was in town at slow speed. I recovered everything, but it damaged the metal clasp keeping the sway bar in place. That part had to be ordered. Took 5 days to arrive. So I spent 5 days in a hotel in Sioux City.

I bet I don't do that again, lol.

(10-07-2026 06:35 AM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 06:04 AM)TripleA Wrote:  Well, crap. I can't figure out how to post pics here from my phone.

it's a pain in the arse ... you have to upload to a site (like imgBB.com) and then copy from there and use the "[img] [/img]" feature on this site...

that's the only way I know how to do it...

I think I'll learn later, or else pull out my laptop, which is what I usually post with.

(10-07-2026 08:38 AM)TripleA Wrote:  LOL. Nah, more innocent than that. I should have gone to RV school before l headed out into the wilderness alone.

When I was hitching up the trailer the other night, I didn't have one of the sway bars inserted far enough into the truck hitch. The holding pin went in fine, but it missed the bar. Bar fell out, luckily while I was in town at slow speed. I recovered everything, but it damaged the metal clasp keeping the sway bar in place. That part had to be ordered. Took 5 days to arrive. So I spent 5 days in a hotel in Sioux City.

I bet I don't do that again, lol.

Jeepers Trip, it seems that you're spending more time in hotels than in your trailer. LOL

(10-07-2026 07:45 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  

And here I thought I'd never get turned on again.

(10-07-2026 06:35 AM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 06:04 AM)TripleA Wrote:  Well, crap. I can't figure out how to post pics here from my phone.

it's a pain in the arse ... you have to upload to a site (like imgBB.com) and then copy from there and use the "[img] [/img]" feature on this site...

that's the only way I know how to do it...

Thanks. I have wondered for years about how to do it.

(10-07-2026 09:18 AM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 08:38 AM)TripleA Wrote:  LOL. Nah, more innocent than that. I should have gone to RV school before l headed out into the wilderness alone.

When I was hitching up the trailer the other night, I didn't have one of the sway bars inserted far enough into the truck hitch. The holding pin went in fine, but it missed the bar. Bar fell out, luckily while I was in town at slow speed. I recovered everything, but it damaged the metal clasp keeping the sway bar in place. That part had to be ordered. Took 5 days to arrive. So I spent 5 days in a hotel in Sioux City.

I bet I don't do that again, lol.

Jeepers Trip, it seems that you're spending more time in hotels than in your trailer. LOL

Ha, seems like it to me, too. But in reality, since Aug 22, I have spent 15 days in hotels and the rest in my RV. The reason is, I am just now, today, getting to my first place i actually planned to visit. Badlands National Park in western South Dakota.

So, until now, I really haven't had anything interesting to report. Hopefully, today will change things. And the weather today is starting out perfectly. Blue skies, no clouds, temp around 70.

(10-07-2026 10:59 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 09:18 AM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 08:38 AM)TripleA Wrote:  LOL. Nah, more innocent than that. I should have gone to RV school before l headed out into the wilderness alone.

When I was hitching up the trailer the other night, I didn't have one of the sway bars inserted far enough into the truck hitch. The holding pin went in fine, but it missed the bar. Bar fell out, luckily while I was in town at slow speed. I recovered everything, but it damaged the metal clasp keeping the sway bar in place. That part had to be ordered. Took 5 days to arrive. So I spent 5 days in a hotel in Sioux City.

I bet I don't do that again, lol.

Jeepers Trip, it seems that you're spending more time in hotels than in your trailer. LOL

Ha, seems like it to me, too. But in reality, since Aug 22, I have spent 15 days in hotels and the rest in my RV. The reason is, I am just now, today, getting to my first place i actually planned to visit. Badlands National Park in western South Dakota.

So, until now, I really haven't had anything interesting to report. Hopefully, today will change things. And the weather today is starting out perfectly. Blue skies, no clouds, temp around 70.

You've got to be an optimist to start your pilgrimage in the "Badlands". If places go as advertised everything afterward should get better!

Let's hope so! Here's a real update, where something finally happened that I planned to see.

Badlands National Park in western South Dakota. That place is spectacular. Looks like the surface of an alien planet. Thankful I lived to see it. I also enjoyed Wall Drug yesterday, and for breakfast this morning. Good coffee. And it was 5 cents. For real.

Also visited the Minuteman Missile Site. Was interesting to me, since I lived through that era as a kid.

But I discovered today that my RV battery that powers my fridge, microwave and A/C is dead. No clue why.

Have to take care of that first tomorrow. At least I am now in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore. Only took me 7 weeks to get here, lol.

(10-07-2026 08:40 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Let's hope so! Here's a real update, where something finally happened that I planned to see.

Badlands National Park in western South Dakota. That place is spectacular. Looks like the surface of an alien planet. Thankful I lived to see it. I also enjoyed Wall Drug yesterday, and for breakfast this morning. Good coffee. And it was 5 cents. For real.

Also visited the Minuteman Missile Site. Was interesting to me, since I lived through that era as a kid.

But I discovered today that my RV battery that powers my fridge, microwave and A/C is dead. No clue why.

Have to take care of that first tomorrow. At least I am now in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore. Only took me 7 weeks to get here, lol.

You should have three ways to charge the house battery.

1. Solar
2. Converter when plugged into shore power
3. Truck from accessory 12v on 7 pin.

If you were parked for a while (I know you said you were in a hotel) with the 12v fridge on and the trailer was in the shade, or just up north in the winter with some cloudy days your solar may not have been able to keep up. I think a lot of people end up adding another panel.

Do you have a lead deep cycle, or a LFP battery? I think they are still putting normal deep cycle on by default, which is fine with a three way fridge but could be marginal with a 12v. If you decide to swap to a lithium iron phosphate you may want to get a heated battery if you keep it on the tongue, or move it to your pass through. If you swap take a look at Redodo, we have a pair on the boat going on 5 years now that are doing really well. Added a third just for electronics about 1.5 years ago.

(10-07-2026 08:40 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Let's hope so! Here's a real update, where something finally happened that I planned to see.

Badlands National Park in western South Dakota. That place is spectacular. Looks like the surface of an alien planet. Thankful I lived to see it. I also enjoyed Wall Drug yesterday, and for breakfast this morning. Good coffee. And it was 5 cents. For real.

Also visited the Minuteman Missile Site. Was interesting to me, since I lived through that era as a kid.

But I discovered today that my RV battery that powers my fridge, microwave and A/C is dead. No clue why.

Have to take care of that first tomorrow. At least I am now in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore. Only took me 7 weeks to get here, lol.

You're doing our summer 2021 trip! You definitely need to do Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park. Both have lots of buffalo. The cave tour is pretty nice.

(10-07-2026 09:28 AM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 07:45 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  

And here I thought I'd never get turned on again.

Perhaps you would be titillated if you learned the individual in this photo is actually Bill Dazzle.

(10-08-2026 06:42 AM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  

(10-07-2026 08:40 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Let's hope so! Here's a real update, where something finally happened that I planned to see.

Badlands National Park in western South Dakota. That place is spectacular. Looks like the surface of an alien planet. Thankful I lived to see it. I also enjoyed Wall Drug yesterday, and for breakfast this morning. Good coffee. And it was 5 cents. For real.

Also visited the Minuteman Missile Site. Was interesting to me, since I lived through that era as a kid.

But I discovered today that my RV battery that powers my fridge, microwave and A/C is dead. No clue why.

Have to take care of that first tomorrow. At least I am now in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore. Only took me 7 weeks to get here, lol.

You should have three ways to charge the house battery.

1. Solar
2. Converter when plugged into shore power
3. Truck from accessory 12v on 7 pin.

If you were parked for a while (I know you said you were in a hotel) with the 12v fridge on and the trailer was in the shade, or just up north in the winter with some cloudy days your solar may not have been able to keep up. I think a lot of people end up adding another panel.

Do you have a lead deep cycle, or a LFP battery? I think they are still putting normal deep cycle on by default, which is fine with a three way fridge but could be marginal with a 12v. If you decide to swap to a lithium iron phosphate you may want to get a heated battery if you keep it on the tongue, or move it to your pass through. If you swap take a look at Redodo, we have a pair on the boat going on 5 years now that are doing really well. Added a third just for electronics about 1.5 years ago.

I replaced the lead acid battery with lithium before I bought it. Turns out, the wires just weren't connected tightly enough. Guy at my third dealer fixed it this morning in about 30 seconds. All is well. All is now working as advertised.