Getting the hang of this!

Today we had to pick up the trailer after having the bearings packed, and we figured while we were out we should fill up the propane tanks (just across the street).

I'm sure you're just dying to find out how it went.

I didn't crash into anything, and even got my first taste of backing up the trailer!  Oh boy.  When we pulled in to Skagit Farmer's Supply for the propane, there was a large motorhome ahead of us.  I pulled in directly behind them, figuring they would just drive away and we could pull in straight away.

But no.  Motorhome guy insisted he needed to back up to pull his motorhome out the other direction - which meant pulling up alongside of him, then waiting for him to get out of there before maneuvering our way closer to the propane fill-up area.

Which required backing up.

Oh boy!

I actually did much better than expected the first time out, and the propane filling guy was very patient.  Heck, he was getting paid to stand there and wait!  Michael is very good at directing, though after he said "other way" about five times in a row I lost track of which "other way" he meant.  Good thing we get along so well!

While we were waiting, I noticed somebody stopped at the light taking a picture of our trailer with their phone.  Then, while I was inside paying for the propane Michael gave a little tour of the trailer to the guy that came up after us to fill a propane tank.  I think this attention is something we're going to have to get used to...

Here's the very exciting moment of propane filling ~

Wow.  Look at that, will you?!!

And here's the first of our trailer admirers - El Sticko.  He was quite impressed with the trailer, and very happy that I didn't run him down.

Now we're ready to really get ready for our first trip.  Leaving in six days!

Cleaning and another tow...

The one week countdown until our first trip has begun!

We still have a few things to do to get the trailer ready.  Michael has been doing little bits every day to clean things up - shelving, the fridge, etc.  Yesterday's task was cleaning all of the running lights.  Look what came out of one of the taillights!

That's just one big chunk of the moss he cleaned out of the lights.  Crazy!  I'm a big fan of moss, probably more than most people, but we just don't need this dimming our lights.  I'll have to find a spot for it in the garden.

It is perfectly good moss after all!

Another thing we wanted to get done before taking the trailer on a long trip is to have the bearings packed.  So off we went to Les Schwab today!  It was the second towing of the trailer, and I must say much less stressful than our first adventure.  Sure, it was barely a mile, and it wasn't raining AND it was light - but overall it went great!  It's going to take some getting used to, but I think I'll be towing like a pro in no time!

Home at last

I'm in a bit of shock at the moment, but it seems that we actually managed to get our new trailer home!  The trip wasn't without a bit of stress - something I'm getting used to these days.

The electrics on our Durango were rewired and working fine, and when we hooked up the trailer everything worked - sort of.  If you held the connection just so.  Every light worked, but  unfortunately the connection was just a bit dodgy and my guess is the first pebble we drove over knocked it loose.  What it left NOT working were the taillights - of course.

Did I mention it was pouring rain today?

Figures.  The one thing that shortens daylight and otherwise makes driving a bit stressful decided to show up the first time I towed a trailer.  Thanks rain, at least you're watering my garden!

Anyhow, we got the trailer hooked up and ready to roll - and headed for our first stop just a mile or so away.  The Shell station, to add air to the tires and check the lights.

Oh.

The lights.  The lights that we got to work just fine when we were sitting in one spot, but which decided to stop working the minute we ran over a pebble.  See!  They're working!

And then they stopped.  Probably two seconds after we started driving.  We knew this was probably the case, but we started for home - it was still light and we wanted to get home as quickly as we could!

We also forgot to put the temporary towing mirrors on (too excited), so I didn't have the best visibility.  We drove quite a ways, but it kept getting darker and darker and eventually somebody flashed us to let us know out lights were out.  We made it to our exit from I-5, and stopped on the shoulder to try and straighten things out.  It was raining, and quickly became clear that the only way to keep the lights on was for Michael to hold the connection in place.  Since it wouldn't be acceptable for him to ride on the hitch, we had to come up with another solution.

HAZARD LIGHTS!

We drove the rest of the way home (as it got darker, and darker) with the hazard lights on.  The brake lights worked too, and so did the turn signals (as long as the hazards weren't on).  Michael coached me on when to switch the hazards on and off, and provided general driving tips.  He's really good with things like that.

And it was still raining like mad.

We finally pulled into our front yard, and I was able to sigh a HUGE sigh of relief.  Michael will be able to fix the electric connection easily.

I'm exhausted.

THREE WEEKS UNTIL WE LEAVE FOR YELLOWSTONE.