We were ready or so we thought! This was to be our third trip this year. The night before we were to leave, i plugged the fridge in to get it cool. The next morning, with the Blazer packed, lugs nuts and tire pressure checked, i decided it would be a good idea to hook the 12V battery up. As soon as it was hooked up the LP detector started beeping... low voltage. I had checked the battery earlier in the week and the tester said it was fully charged. This battery had been messed up from the start and we were planning to exchange it anyway. I just hoped the fridge would stay cool for the two hour trip.

From the start (end of the driveway) we thought we heard the safety chains dragging the ground. This was probably due to the fact we had added a bike rack and safety chain had to be added. A little piece from home, we decided to stop and check the situation out. Sure enough, the chains were too long. I turned the tow vehicle to the left and made the tightest turn possible. Got out and adjusted the "removeable" links and then repeated the process on the right. Turns out, i had two links too many.

Upon arriving at the campground, we checked in and drove to our site. This campground is known for their large level sites. Well, we found the only unlevel one in the place and luckily, i had made the BAL Leveler purchase. After backing in, i slid the BAL Leveler underneath the low side tire and began turning the screw. Only suggestion i have for the folks at the BAL Leveler company is to make a leveler with a longer screw! We had about an 1" left on the screw. The whole time i was thinking about how glad i was that i didn't have to attempt to drive over a stack of leveling boards!

Aside from the dead battery, safety chain length and the unlevel site, everything was going great! With the pop up set up, awning in place, carpet rolled out and the fridge cooling we set out for a bike ride. Having not ridden a bicycle in years, i had forgotten about those little seats and what they would do to my larger rear.

When we got back, i started keeping a check on the refrigerator's temperature. It didn't seem to be cooling. I had it on "7" (the highest setting)... isn't that the coolest setting? Read on.

We decided on this trip we would set up the extra screen room underneath the awning. This was a freebie when we purchased our camper and we had never tried it out. With the screen room unrolled on the ground, the wife reading the directions and ordering me around i attached one side to the awning. We were surprised to see that our screen room had privacy panels! All that joy vanished as i held up the front side of the screen room and the wife exclaims, "It isn't long enough!" I chuckled and said, "What are you talking about?" Needless to say, our screen room with privacy panels was for a 7ft. awning. That was my first call to the dealer.

That night we grilled burgers and just kicked back. When i went to bed, the fridge still wasn't all that cold.