Preamble

October 22, 2023

Our plan for this year was to head to Moab, Utah for the great outdoors.  Spouse has been watching scores of You Tube videos on the off road adventures.  We were there about 40 years ago where we started on a 4 day river raft trip down to Bullfrog in Lake Powell, but we never really explored the area.

Our original plan was to leave after Labor Day.  That is until Spouse decided to have cataract surgery in September.  One eye… then the other… then the follow up visits.  Well, if he is going to be tied up in that way, I figured I could work the orchid show at the Huntington Library.  We could set up Artee at the Elks in Pasadena so that I wouldn’t have to commute.  Artee would then be ready and we could leave right after that for an abbreviated trip.  After all, the orchid show was not over til 10/22.

Spouse was totally Jonesing to leave before that.  He brought Artee home so we could load her.  Hmmm, the refrigerator isn’t working properly.  He replaced this part, had a friend help and somehow they thought it might be working, but when we got to Pasadena, it was just not doing its job.  From my standpoint, I wasn’t planning on eating much at Artee so I could do without the fridge.  My friend, Gayle, was there in her rig too, so I could use her fridge if I needed.  Spouse arranged for a mobile repair back at the house, so he planned on bringing Artee home two days early.  Ugh, I will get over that… But there was something wrong with the hitch.  Gayle’s husband Steve had to help hitch her up.  When Spouse got her home, he had a neighbor do some welding.  Spouse serviced the hitch.  The mobile repair on the fridge was quick and easy… but they couldn’t guarantee that this was the problem. 

So, if we did not do the trip to Pasadena, we would not have known about either problem until we were well on our way to what would have been a problematic trip!  Some times, things happen for a reason.

Spouse picked up Artee on Sunday, and the hitch worked perfectly.  We ran the fridge… if it was cold on Monday morning, we were leaving as soon as we could.

I had tons of stuff to do following the orchid show, but the fridge was cold, so I rushed through to get ready.

We must be back by 11/13 for an appointment.  And weather this time of year is definitely going to be a concern.  But, when life deals you a lemon, make lemonade.  If it is cold north, we will head south. 

Utah, here we come!