It has been a long time since we have updated our blog and we do apologize. We are excited to once again share our (Hendo/Ilene and Hendo's Mom Mom/Inge) adventures, lessons learned, struggles, successes, etc etc etc. Thank you for checking back in or checking in for the first time. If our "hike" through life brings a smile to your day, lets you know you aren't alone on this crazy "trail", provides you some inspiration, expands your knowledge, then all that we go through and sharing it with you makes it all worth it. Below is the latest and greatest for 2020, but we will be posting catchup posts for 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the coming days, so don't worry we will make sure to explain further anything mentioned for this year.
Happy Trails!!!
Hendo & Hendo's Mom
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Where to begin for
2020! Has there ever been such an
unusual year? No dull and boring this
year, at least in our lives. The year
began as somewhat normal, if there ever is such a thing for us. We parked our 35 ft RV Motorhome at Grandma Farnham’s driveway in Mt. Zion, IL in September 2019.
Inge taught middle school/high school at an alternative school in
Decatur, IL for the 2019-2020 school year, and I (Ilene) renovated the RV I had
purchased the previous March, 2019, while I had been living and working in
Kansas. While the repairs the "new" motorhome needed were within my skillset (especially since this is now my 3rd RV renovation/rebuild), the extent of the repairs were more than originally thought, so it was disheartening and frustrating at times. The windows had not been properly re-caulked over the years and so they had leaked at times and as a result the walls had rot\ in several places throughout the RV. Therefore, the rot had to be removed and repaired. The RV originally had blue shag carpet throughout, definitely a result of the "Good Idea Fairy". We removed all of the carpet and replaced it with linoleum, a square slate pattern in the "living room and kitchen" areas and a multi-grey hexagon pattern in the "bathroom and back bedroom areas".
I installed new kitchen cabinets and a new counter.
The outer layer of sheet metal on the underside of the RV had rusted through under the bathroom area resulting in the bathroom floor becoming wet and rotting out. All of the bathroom walls had to be removed and then the rotten floor and rusted sheet metal removed. New painted sheet metal was put down and then new subfloor and vinyl flooring
The bed in the back bedroom was originally in the middle and as a result a lot of space was wasted, so I removed the bed, and placed it into the corner across the back of the RV. There are three windows in the back bedroom, one on each side and one in the middle of the back. The window in the middle of the back was wasted space, so I placed some rigid foam insulation in the window and sealed it off with a piece of plywood. As usual, once the old bed and flooring was removed more issues were found than originally expected. The water tank or water pump had been leaking and so the floor had become water logged. Thankfully, after drying out and bleaching it, the mold was gone and the floor was found to not be rotten.
I also found some rot in the driver side bedroom wall and removed and replaced it. Again, caused by leaks around the windows.
I tried my hand at some "upholstering" and made a padded tufted head board.
My cat, Pacha, supervised the bedroom renovations. I removed the useless closet and cabinets in the bedroom area and installed a closet rod across the back of the RV above my bed for my hanging clothes and installed wire closet shelving with the lip facing up to hold bins for my folded clothing.
With the living room, kitchen and bedrooms done I turned my attention to the bathroom area. Originally there was a full-size tub in the RV, but we did not have a need for a full-size tub and needed a closet for Inge, so the full-size bathtub/shower was removed and a stand up shower and closet were installed. My cat, Wazir, was supervising.
You can use regular household light fixtures in an RV 12v system, you just have to use 12v light bulbs. So I have removed all of the plastic RV light fixtures and have installed some blingy light fixtures instead.
The windshield on the RV has been repaired at some point, but was not properly repaired. Therefore, I contacted a windshield repair shop in Springfield, IL to schedule to have the windshield replaced. When speaking with the windshield repair shop they said that they had repeatedly seen issues with RVs' chassis and frames contributing to windshield issues. Therefore, the repair shop suggested I inspect the frame and chassis for any issues and have them fixed before bringing my RV to them. That was some great advice. Up front around the windshield, the framing which holds the windshield in place was not bolted in place, as it should be and then when I crawled underneath to inspect the chassis and RV frame, things really got interesting.
The box of the RV sits on I-beam braces which run perpendicular to the truck/RV chassis. Between the I-beams and the chassis are rubber mounts. The I-beams are bolted onto the bottom of the RV Box and then the I-beams are bolted onto the chassis with large rubber spacers/mounts around the bolts/in between the I-beams and chassis. When I crawled underneath the RV and began inspecting the framing and chassis, I found that the bolts connecting 2 of the I-beams to the chassis had sheared off. Then began the fun of Mom and I jacking up the box of the RV so that I could remove the I-beams and broken bolts. Once the I-beams were removed I found that one of the beams had rotated and pushed up into the bottom of the RV box. Therefore that beam needed an additional wider width of iron sheeting welded to it, so that when re-installed the edge of the I-beam would extend over the pushed-in damage on the bottom of the RV box. Family friends and amazing metal workers, Charlie and Chip Platt came to the rescue!!! Charlie and Chip welded an additional plate on and primed it for me, free of charge. I told them that this combat veteran greatly appreciated their support and help, I am eternally grateful!! It is the littlest things which are often the biggest help to we veterans.
The re-installation of the I-beams and new bolts had to wait until the snow melted and cleared in March. One is never responsible for what is said while backing up a trailer or motorhome, nor when installing new frame mounts and bolts underneath a Class A motorhome. Choice words were exchanged between Mom and I, F.U.N. was had by both and the I-beams, new rubber mounts and new bolts were re-installed and the RV was once again whole.
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We stayed at
Grandma Farnham’s through the onset of coronavirus that shut down everything
for March, April, May. Mom learned to
teach from home via computer and cell phone. After nearly 50 years of teaching, she prefers in-the-classroom in
person rather than with computers and having to use cell phones for those
students who do not have computer access in their homes.
A summer job came through for both of us with
the US Forest Service to work at Uncompahgre National Forest near Montrose,
Colorado in southwest Colorado. I was hired as an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Trail Crew Leader. and Mom was signed on as a volunteer. I would be maintaining the Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV), All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and Dirt Bike trails in the Uncompahgre National Forest, Ouray Ranger District. Due to personnel shortages, Mom ended up getting to work with me each day, we really enjoyed our work. We packed up the RV and arrived in Montrose, CO on Monday 25 May 2020. Home Sweet Home at the USFS Administration Site in Montrose, CO.
Our office...Uncompahgre National Forest
Elk
Putting up a barrier to stop unauthorized off-trail travel
MOOSE!!
It wasn't all trail work. The OHV Trail Crew shed needed some serious cleaning and organization. Mom and I spent 3 days cleaning out and organizing the OHV Trail Crew shed. In doing so we found 16 pairs of snow chains scattered and hidden throughout the shed. Mom paired them up properly and then we hung them up on the outside wall of the shed under an overhang.
One of the claims to fame of the region is that John Wayne’s movie “True Grit” was filmed in several places nearby. Weekly, we drove past the meadow where one of the last scenes of True Grit was filmed.
Mom and I loved our jobs, but we were outsiders, always put 100% into our work, and followed policies and procedures. Such a work ethic was not liked or appreciated by the US Forest Service in Montrose, CO and as a result I was fired on 8 July 2020. While not overly impressed with either the US Forest Service or the National Park Service, based off of our experiences we have concluded that the National Park Service is a little better organized than the US Forest Service. But neither seems to appreciate what I have to bring to the effort, so I will move on and pursue a career as an EMT for the time being, hoping to eventually get my paramedic certification.
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We did make the most of our time in SW Colorado and checked out some of the local sites.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
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Since we were in the west and hadn’t seen
Daniel for three years we decided to drive to Kalispell, Montana to visit him
and his wife, Kaylee. We had been
needing to order a piece to repair the steering on the RV so decided to order
it while there. Well, if you have
probably also noticed, many items were behind on ordering and delivery this
year! It took four months for the part
to arrive in Kalispell.
Kayaking on McDonald Lake and McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park
Inge left
Kalispell the beginning of August and drove the pick-up truck back to Illinois to
start teaching August 10. I stayed
in Montana until October to get the RV piece replaced.
Goodbye Montana
I then drove the RV to Mom's sister Sue’s
house in Decatur, Illinois where we were supposed to be parked for a few weeks
while we finished repairs and renovations on the RV before relocating to a
local mobile home park for the rest of the winter and spring. Well, Murphy seems to have had other plans in mind.
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I drove the RV to
Houston, Texas in mid-November for a reunion with my Army buddies from
Afghanistan. I also got to meet with a fellow paratrooper friend of mine, Kristi outside of Houston and then headed over to Crestview, FL to visit my paratrooper sister, April. April and I originally met at Airborne School in 1995 and were later stationed at Ft. Bragg together.
PRT Gardez, Afghanistan Reunion 2020
Not as lean, but definitely just as mean and crusty!!
April and Ilene
Airborne School Buddies!!
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Two hundred miles south of Decatur,
Illinois, on my way back to my aunt's house, the engine in my RV started making horrendous sounds and died. I quickly pulled off onto the shoulder and called AAA Roadside Assistance. Mom and I both have AAA RV Plus club
memberships. I used one of my 100-mile tows to get the RV initially towed to a
mechanic in Marion, IL. Mom had driven down and met me at the shop in Marion. The shop in Marion determined the repairs needed were
too serious, so we used two more tows to get the RV towed back to my Aunt Sue’s house in Decatur, IL.
My cousin Kevin, Uncle Jim and Kevin's friend Dan, who is a mechanic, looked over the RV and determined the RV will need a whole new engine. We were able to find one reputable shop in Decatur that has the equipment, large enough garage for my RV to fit in, skill and willingness to replace my engine. However, they have a couple of mechanics out with COVID-19, so repairs will not be able to begin until after the New Year. Cost of the engine and labor will likely total around $8,000, definitely not an expense we have planned for, but we will figure something out. Our plan is that once the engine is replaced, we will spend the rest of the winter and
spring at a local mobile home park in Decatur, IL. Thankfully,
heavy winter weather has not arrived here yet.
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This fall semester Mom has been teaching high school general math, algebra, geometry, and
geography at an alternative Middle and High School in Decatur, IL. This alternative school has
very small classes of only two to three students in each, with morning and
afternoon sessions. School started in
person on August 10. Special precautions
were implemented. They wore masks, sanitized hands at every turn, sanitized
tables and chairs after each class change, and rooms were machine sanitized
twice daily. There were only a couple of
positive cases of COVID 19. Mom had a COVID-19 test at the time in late November and her results came back negative. The week
before Thanksgiving, the health department mandated that all schools be closed in
our county, so Mom is once again total remote at home until at least 19 January 2021. We will see what 2021 brings.
Mom began teaching in August 1971 and has told
her current principal that June 2021 would be a good time to truly retire. She has spent every year either full time
teaching, substitute teaching, or working as a teacher assistant and has been
in every grade level from three-year-old preschool to senior high school
teaching language arts, science, math, social studies, physical education, special
education, and music, teaching in Missouri, Illinois, and North Carolina. Maybe she should let someone else have a
chance at this fun career! At 71 years
old she has too many other things she wants to do before her body and mind stop
her. She isn’t ready to quit yet, she
just doesn’t want the regimen of full time work.
I have decided to pursue work as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), since I completed the course and have been a National Registry EMT licensed in Kansas since May 2019. We do not want to remain in Illinois and have
researched a few good places to settle from all of our travels. We’ll let you know where we land in the
summer of 2021.
My Grandma Henderson (Dad's Mother) passed away October 30, 2020 while living with her daughter in Niles,
Michigan. Ninety-one year old Grandma
Helen Henderson was standing in her kitchen next to her daughter Diane while they
were fixing breakfast for my Grandpa Henderson. She fell to the
floor and was gone! I
still have my ninety-two year old Grandma Else Farnham living independently in Mt
Zion, Illinois and ninety-one year old Grandpa Eugene Henderson living with his
daughter in Niles, Michigan.
Wear a mask, wash/sanitize your
hands, stay away from large crowds, don't swap spit with others and enjoy the
outdoors with fresh air.
