Since our return from Europe we have been very slowly getting back to work on the house. Key word here is slowly. But the first thing we had to do, after catching up on some sleep, was to replace shingles that had blown off the roof while we were gone. There had been some wicked winds I was told in April and we lost seven or eight of our new asphalt roof shingles. Should we have gone with a metal roof? Only time will tell I suppose...I spent the next week cleaning up the yard after 6 months of snow cover - broken tree branches, bits of plastic garbage, roof shingles (see above) - and shook off the last remnants of winter by removing the snow chains off the old Dakota, reorganizing the sheds and airing out the cabin. They are all still full of furniture that has to come up to the house so any visitors this year will have to rough it outside! In the meantime Marie decided enough was enough and hooked up our new smart LG washing machine so we wouldn't have to go to the laundromat or use Fernanda's washer whenever we went to Montréal. I am eventually going to run a clothesline from the deck to one of the maple trees about 40 feet away.
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| Marie, keen about Keene, New Hampshire |
This past weekend we drove our new truck to Truck Camper Warehouse in West Chesterfield, New Hampshire. We had seen some great reviews about this place, the largest slide-in camper dealer on the east coast and we needed to beef up the truck's suspension so we could carry a camper safely and within the capabilities of a F250. After talking and exchanging emails and checking them out on a camper forum we felt confident they would steer us in the right direction. Our other truck, the Ram 1500, is up for sale as it is not big enough for what we plan to do.
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| checking out the inventory |
The first day in West Chesterfield was beautiful and hot and, after touching base with the guys at Camper Warehouse and planning to return first thing in the morning, we drove into Keene for lunch and to shop. Keene is a college town, clean and typically New England with the brick buildings and the white church spire towering over the tree lined streets. We ate at their Mexican restaurant,
Pedraza's, and really enjoyed some authentic Mexican food - a large El Platito for me and fish tacos for Marie.That night we stayed at the Motel 6 just across the river in Vermont and had a beer at
99's, a bar next door before retiring early for the night after our long drive from home.
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| El Platito! |
The next day at Truck Camper Warehouse we spoke to the owner's son Ryan who told us what would be best for the type of camper we wanted and while we were checking out some of their stock he and Jessie began installing Supersprings in the rear and four Torklift frame mounted tiedowns with turnbuckles onto the frame. Supersprings for those who don't know are installed directly above the truck's rear leaf springs and work in parallel with the existing suspension system. The increased spring rate produced by the Supersprings helps eliminate rear-end sag ( hmm...I need to quit looking in the mirror at my butt ) and improves towing capabilities. Don't know if we will be towing anything soon but it's there anyway. They also reduce body roll when cornering, encountering strong cross winds or driving on Route 145 in New Hampshire (see below).
Next step when we are ready will be to replace the factory shocks with heavy duty Ranchos shock absorbers. While we were waiting we met another couple from Maine, Brett and Celina Binns, who had just purchased a new Ford F350 and an Arctic Fox slide-in. They too were new at this type of camping and we spent some time chatting about upcoming trips and why we had chosen to go with a truck camper instead of a trailer or fifth-wheeler.
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| Jessie putting on the Torklift tiedowns |
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| Marie and the Binns chatting about a trip to Alaska |
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| Ryan installing Supersprings |
The weather turned wet and cool on the way home and we decided to get off the Interstate 91 and check out the backroads. This was a bad move. They were atrocious and the closer we got to the Canadian border the worse they became. I find that everywhere in the east - especially as you near Canada - the towns and infrastructure all look decrepit, run down and mostly deserted, the roads a mass of frost heaves and pot holes that threaten to tear your vehicle apart unless you drive 20mph. My advice to anyone: Do Not Drive Route 145 from Colebrook, NH to Pittsburg, NH! Parts of highway 3, along the Connecticut Lakes, was just as bad and moose warning signs abounded. It was just as well we were going slow when we came across a youngster crossing the road ahead of us!
This weekend we are off to visit the kids and attend Fer's baby shower for William, due on the 18th of June. Naturally we are all nervous and praying for the best for Mum and son. It has been a couple of months as well since we have seen Lara and Joshua and I am looking forward to seeing how much he has grown!
gws
