Update September 8

September 8, 2009:
It is difficult to believe that I won't be living in this beautiful place after tomorrow night. It is so lovely and peaceful now – A Loop is closed and there are three campers in B Loop, so it is quiet. I've just had one of my favorite meals, grilled chicken marinated in Drew's Rosemary Basalmic, and boiled potatos & carrots with butter, salt & pepper. I even had seconds because it tasted so good, which I usually don't do, that is, take seconds when I'm already full. Just couldn't help it this time. I grilled extra chicken so I can make enchiladas to have for Thursday, my first night on the road.

Most nights I have a campfire, and tonight is no exception. The wood and kindling is abundant, so it would be easy to take more than I need. It will probably be here next year. One of the Park employees stopped to see me this afternoon and say “Goodbye”. There are some great folks who work here at Lassen and I will miss them, and look forward to friendly co-workers at Fort Pulaski.

For those who know how much I dislike Vista operating system, I would like to report that I am using a Linux-like OS called Ubuntu. So far it works ok, but I will say that I still prefer the Windows XP that I have on my desktop computer. I used the laptop today to access the internet and update my blog, but it wasn't completely satisfactory. I use Mozilla Firefox, and usually it allows me to open multiple windows that are listed across the top of the screen. I think I had multiple windows open today but I sure couldn't find them. I am to the point where I'm not all that interested in learning a completely new system, although I still might try the Mac.

Dogs are intuitive and Lady knows something is up. She is lying very close to where I am sitting now, practically on my feet. She doesn't seem to mind traveling, and wants to make sure she doesn't get left behind.

Wednesday, September 9:
I washed the dust off my truck today, as best I could using an oscillating sprinkler. Why do men tighten connections such as hoses so tight that I can't remove them? David hooked up the sprinkler so I could keep the dust down on the road – it sure slows the cars down when they see they have to drive through a sprinkler! But I have never been able to get it loose, so I hold the sprinkler to rinse the truck. Also, the way they have me hooked up to fresh water I can't fill the fresh tank until David hooks up the white hose. They buried the hose that runs from the faucet to the rig.

I also cleaned the windows on the outside as they were just covered in dust. Little by little I'm getting things ready although I'm not rushing to do anything today. It is kind of scary to think that I have to tow this thing tomorrow and the next day, and on and on, especially since I haven't done it in over three months.