Two hundred forty-one

Mere and Amy met us for breakfast Monday morning.....for the first time this summer we cooked breakfast outside.  I did bacon, TLE used our outdoor toaster to heat up bagels, and after I was done with the bacon she scrambled some eggs.  Of course there were copious amounts of java being consumed as we set about to plan our day.

Naturally a bike ride was in order.....I just bought Amy the Motiv bicycle, and Mere had brought her Dahon folding bike along, which she had not ridden too much since Christmas, so we had to test them out.  We rode slowly northward along the bike path that passes through Camp Richardson to the Tallac Historic site where the Pope, Baldwin and Valhalla estates run along the shore of Lake Tahoe. Trying to drive anywhere on the 4th of July in South Lake Tahoe is fruitless, plus you can go a lot of places you cannot in a car.

 The customary 'usie'

Doubling down on 'usies'

 Irony....a butterfly alights on the information board about the 'Butterfly Garden'

 Cool birdhouses

Baldwin 

Baldwin Beach beginning to fill up

We lollygagged along through the morning enjoying the 76 degree SLT air ultimately ending up at one of our favorite SLT coffee places, Alpina Cafe, for a Mocha Shake....a lot like a Mocha Frappuccino.

I have to say what a delight it is to spend time with Meredith and Amy......they are both intelligent, thoughtful people with wonderful senses of humor.  There is never an end of topics to discuss.

We arrived back at the coach around 1 pm and sat for a while discussing 'cabbages and kings' for about 90 minutes before we all decided we needed naps.  We agreed to meet back at our site around 6 pm for filet mignon steaks, baked potatoes, and salad.  The steaks, as always, came out perfect.  We followed dinner with our own 'Night at the Movies'......I got out the outdoor TV and our portable DVD player used for just such occasions and watch a very old Mel Brooks film called 'The Twelve Chairs'......a slightly obscure Mel Brooks film to be sure, but a favorite of ours.  We laughed and giggled for 93 minutes....it was like seeing it for the first time all over again.

Soon it was just past 9 pm, and time for TLE and I to hit the sack as Tuesday is a work day for us.  The past two days off were wonderful, and the time spent with Meredith and Amy will keep a smile on my face for a long time to come.  They will do some site seeing Tuesday after the 4th of July crowds begin to dissipate, and will be here until they return to their workaday lives Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy 241st birthday America! 

The 'Motiv'.....

When I clocked out Saturday afternoon the 'Overflow Area' was in good order.  We had sold about 20 sites, and all the cars were parked out front as they should be.  When I returned shortly after 5 am Sunday morning it was total chaos.  All the parking spots in front were filled, but there were an equal number of vehicles parked in the 'Overflow Area' next to 15-20 more tents.  We had never sold more than 20-25 of these sites in the prior two years.  I counted close to 40 sites occupied.  So much for design......lol.  Even though my parking design did not anticipate that many vehicles it worked out in the end.  Many of the additional tenters were just there for one night, and by Sunday afternoon things had settled down and there was enough parking once again.

We had a few minor noise issues, but they were dealt with quickly and we had our second 'quiet' night.....of course when you have over 400 sites occupied, and some 3-4,000 people in such a small geographical area it is never really 'quiet', but generally our customers reported it has been much better this year than in past years.

After turning in my cart and clocking out just after 7 am I headed back to our site to do a little 4th of July decorating......

.....I then visited one of our customers, Elizabeth, whose wind damaged awning I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.  Several of us had noticed her awning had been slightly damaged by the wind one day while she was gone and stowed it to prevent further damage.  Elizabeth is 93 years old and has been coming to TVC for many years in her small Class A motorhome.  I agreed to try and locate the broken awning piece and help her fix it.  Well, after a week, or so I was able to find the replacement piece on eBay for about $110.  She agreed to the price and I ordered it.  Everything arrived last Wednesday, and Sunday was the day to install it.  It took about 20 minutes to install the replacement piece and once again Elizabeth has shade when she needs it.

My daughter, Meredith, and her friend Amy decided to drive up to visit us for 4 days leaving Claremont, CA around 10:30 am for the 400 mile drive.  They arrived just after 7 pm.  On the drive up Meredith sent a text wondering if we could find a bicycle for Amy to ride while they are here for four days and I replied that I could......

The 'Motiv'

......after TLE returned from grocery shopping I drove the car over to Tahoe Market Thrift Store to see what bikes they had in stock.  They always have 4, or 5 bicycles for sale, and they are usually in good operating condition.  If you purchase a bike from them for full price ($60 in this case) and return it within 2 weeks they will by it back from you for one half of what you paid.  That is cheaper than we could rent a bike so I bought this girl's Motiv (pronounced Moteev) comfort bike for Amy to ride while they are here.

Needless to say, I spent a good portion of the afternoon 'detailing' the bicycle to get it ready for the arrival of Meredith and Amy (Meredith brought her own bike....the Dahon folding bicycle I bought her for Christmas.

At any rate, as I said, they arrived without incident a little after 7 pm, and we got them tucked into their cabin for the next four days, then ventured over to site 424 where we had been invited by some customers to enjoy some Mongolian BBQ.  We were treated like visiting royalty and had a wonderful time getting to know their large family.  This is pretty typical every year.....we often get invited for a meals by customers who want to express they gratefulness for helping them in some way.

After dinner we sat around the fire talking and laughing as always.....before we knew it the time had flown by and it was approaching 11 pm.....ugggghhh.....I have to get up and patrol at 5 am. And so I sit here at my keyboard once again around 4:30 am getting ready for my 2 hour tour of duty.......I need a nap!

I'm happy to report that we have had another quiet evening......thanks for stopping by!

'Lucky 13'

I wrote a post a few years ago when we worked at Amazon in Campbellsville, KY called 'Twenty-five, or six to four'......a take off on the popular 1970 song by the band Chicago.  We, or course, were working the night shift and were both up at that time every morning for virtually 11 weeks.  The point of the title and the lyrics is that the writer had 'writer's block' and finally at about 25, or 26 minutes to four in the morning he had come up with the lyrics for the song.  As I sit here typing I look at the clock in the salon and see it is exactly 25 minutes to 4 in the morning, however, I am not, as the author of that song was, suffering from any sort of 'writer's block'.

As wrote yesterday morning I was on the job by 5 am making my first security round of the park......as I trundled along in my cart with the headlights creating a tunnel of light for me to follow I was enjoying how peaceful and quiet it was for a Saturday morning on the 4th of July weekend.  The last two years we had arrived at the office to a chorus of noise complaints from our customers.  We had no night security that went past 2 am, and that is when the shenanigans would begin.  The only noise issue we had began just after 2 am when Pierce was making his rounds.....he quickly dealt with the noisy patrons, and things quieted down.  By the time Miguel came on at 3 am it was totally quiet......every appeared to be asleep. 

Between 5 am and 7 am it was as quiet as a tomb.....in all I made two complete rounds of the park and 'Overflow Area' stopping along the way to pick up errant trash, reload the 'Ice House', check the pool area, and each restroom for any issues.....there was one clogged toilet in the men's side of the restroom in Section 'E', but that was it.  As I began my second round at 6 am I began to come across folks walking their dogs, or making their way to a restroom for their morning ablutions. 

By 7 am I was back at the Newell where TLE was just serving some oatmeal for my breakfast which I ate while she dressed.  I then left with her a few minutes later to begin the next part of my 11 hour work day.  While she opened the office I went down to the maintenance to plug in the cart which we had been using all night with lights, and pick up my Ranger Cart....I don't think I've mentioned before that my cart has the number '13' on the side of it....good thing I'm not superstitious!

 'Lucky 13'

Just as expected July 2nd became more and more frenetic as the hours piled one upon the other.....before I knew it I got a call from TLE saying it was time for lunch.....actually it was way past time for lunch.....1:30 pm!  Time really does fly by when you are busy.....I went from one thing to the next......watching the entrance, guiding customers to their 'Overflow Area' sites, pumping propane, solving site boundary disputes amongst customers, getting people to re-park their vehicles, directing traffic, unjamming traffic jams, and on it went until almost 4:30 when I staggered wearily to the employee room to punch that damn clock one more time.....boy did I want to literally punch it.....:-)

We are now just over 100% of capacity......there are seas of people walking, biking, driving everywhere.  We reloaded the 'Ice House' conveyor belt at least a dozen times over the course of the day.  The wonderful thing is we had no major glitches......we had 'ZERO' electrical issues.  Every time I would check in with Adam (maintenance supervisor) and ask him if he had to handle any electrical issues he would scowl at me and make me find wood to rap my knuckles against.  All that work he has been putting in replacing old breakers, outlets and wiring is paying dividends this weekend.....of course it doesn't hurt that we are in the middle of a cooling trend sending our daytime highs down into the high 70's.

At any rate I was home by 4:30 sitting in my recliner staring blankly out the front windows....I was too tired to even take a nap, or pour myself an adult beverage.  I just sat there listening to 'Classic Vinyl' on XM Radio at an appropriately high volume letting the tension ooze from my tired body.  When TLE arrived home just before 6 pm it seemed as if no time had passed at all.

In just a few minutes I will get dressed, venture out into the 'it's always coldest before the dawn' air to run my 2 hour security shift, and then at 7 am I will be off work!  Other than one more 5-7 am shift Monday morning I am free for the next two days.  Sometime this afternoon our daughter Meredith will arrive for a four day stay with her friend Amy, and we will spend a good portion of the next two days visiting our favorite SLT eateries, sitting by the fire at night, and engaging in general merriment. 

Two more days left in the 4th of July weekend....so far all is good.....it was soooo quiet again last night....thanks for stopping by!

"Luck is the residue of design"

I felt lucky Friday as my work day began at TVC.....we had spent a large portion of the last two months preparing for the 4th of July weekend......both TLE and I had terrible memories from the past two years......each time things just spun out of control and by the end of the long weekend we were all (the entire staff) basket cases.  History only has significance if you learn from it, and I believe TLE and I have learned from the mistakes made the past two years.  We came to TVC this year with the intention of implementing new ideas that we hoped would lead to a more serene 4th of July experience for not only the staff, but our guests.

As I began my first round of the day I did not feel the same foreboding I had in 2014 and 2015......I felt confident we had designed a good plan.  Of course, there are plans and then there is reality, but as Branch Rickey famously said....."Luck is the residue of design"....I love that quote, because is so succinctly, and accurately describes how Friday went.  Maybe we were lucky, but I think what we experienced was a combination of design and a little luck.

We were expecting 185 arrivals Friday with another 110 on Saturday.  By 2:30 we had 85 arrivals left.  The first 100 went quite smoothly.....of course there were a few unhappy people, but TLE and the office staff made them happy again.  We had 5 computers manned most of the day with TLE acting as 'quarterback', so to speak.  She greeted the customers and directed them to our staff members depending on their needs who processed them quickly and efficiently.  I kept the entrance under control, and still made my rounds.  I guided our first 6 'Overflow' guests to their sites, and they were very pleased with how organized it was.  Robert, our manager, had 3 additional dumpsters delivered in addition to the 3 he had delivered last week, and one went out to the 'Overflow' area......the garbage trucks arrived mid morning to empty everything so we could begin the weekend with lots of capacity for effluent.

 The finished product in 'Overflow'

Each 'Overflow' site post has the reminder that there are no campfires and cooking allowed in 'Overflow'

I didn't clock out until 4:30 pm, but when I left all was under control.  TLE had gone in first thing in the morning to open up, but around 9 she went home for a few hours, and then returned to work until 7 pm....again, just to be sure all continued to go smoothly, and when she came home she had a good report.  I really admire her, and the others who work the registration desk, because things can get quite hectic in there with a lot of people milling around waiting their turn to purchase items, or complete their registration.  Personally I prefer to be outside where it does not feel claustrophobic......

Something new we are also doing this year is we are covering the hours from 1 am to 7 am with security patrols.  In the past we have had numerous noise complaints after hours and we are determined that will not happen again.  The only way to assure that is to have Rangers patrolling, so Miguel (head ranger), Pierce and I are splitting that 6 hour time period into 3 two hour shifts....I am up so early because I am taking the 5 am to 7 am shift.....I'll just go from that shift to my normal shift.  Pierce is on until 1 am anyway, so he is just extending his shift until 3 am, and then Miguel is taking the 3 am to 5 am shift.  As I sit here typing my daily blog entry all I can hear are the 'Sounds of Silence'........no police helicopters, and/or El Dorado County Sheriffs officers needed this year.

Well, 3 more days to go.......fingers crossed, and hoping our design continues to produce that residue called luck! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Preppers........

We had about 60 arrivals to TVC Thursday and Friday we are expecting close to 200 arrivals.....it is the beginning of  'Arrivageddon'.....however, I am going to attempt to live by the old maxim......"let the evil of today be sufficient unto itself"....no point in worrying about milk which has not been spilt.....yet.

I began my day reloading the 'ICE HOUSE' conveyor belt, then began my rounds.  The campground has taken on this eerily quiet feel....it is as if the forest, the wildlife and humans are sensing what is coming and are taking a collective deep breath.  There were no issues requiring my attention, and I was finished with round one by 9:30.  Then it was back to the 'Overflow Area' to create a parking area for those who will be using that area over the 4th of July.  I first dragged (using a chain and the golf cart) various logs leftover from our dead tree cutting program to form barriers and define the parking area, then pounded 10 metal posts into the ground (five along each side of the road) on which to hang signs indicating and further defining the parking area.  Folks will be allowed to drive into their campsite, drop their gear, and then bring the car back to the parking area.  This will keep the dust and congestion down in the 'Overflow Area'.  TLE and Sally helped me by printing the signs and laminating them.  I started working on the overflow project late last week, and by Friday all will be ready.....I just have to hang the parking signs and we are ready!

Even though we only had 60 arrivals they all decided to arrive in groups of 3, and 4 RV's so I had no choice but to stay in and around the campground entrance to prevent traffic jams.  At one point they came so fast we had 7 RV's backed up to around the Trolley Shack before I was able to send them off to their sites, asking them to register later in the afternoon.

The 5 day forecast shows a cooling trend down from the high 80's to the low 80's and high 70's.....that is good news.  With the park over 100% capacity hot weather would have put a heavy burden on our electrical system with all the air conditioners in use.

Everything seems to be ready.....I'm sure we've prepared properly, and for right now I feel good about where we are.  Friday and Saturday will expose the truth, and when something goes wrong, and it will, we will proceed with style and grace.  

I was on my way home by 4:30, and TLE followed a short time later.....we are both tired and the 4 day weekend has not yet begun.  Oh, and by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my youngest son, Tim....he turns 30 years old July 1st (today).  Love you Tim!

Thanks for stopping by!

On a pedestal....

Wednesday saw preparations continuing for the 4th of July weekend......the weather continues to be warm with temps in the high 80's.  As is my custom, I began my morning checking and reloading our 'ICE HOUSE' (you put in 8 quarters for a 7 pound bag of ice) a little after 8 am, then went on to begin my first site check round.......as I rolled past site 131, just 30 sites into my day, the customer occupying that site waved me down.  I pulled over and asked what I could do for him and he advised that he was having a problem with his 30 amp receptacle, and was temporarily plugged into site 132 (no occupied at the time).  Knowing that we had a customer coming into that site (132) later in the day it was obvious this had to be dealt with right away.

I called Adam, our maintenance manager, on the two way radio to find he was dealing with an issue at our swimming pool, and would not be available to check the electrical pedestal at site 131 until much later in the day.  Wednesday is our slowest day of the week, and at this time of day on Wednesday Adam and I are the only ones on duty able to deal with an electrical issue.....Adam more so, me less so.  At any rate I advised the customer I had to pick up my tools from my trailer and would be back within 15 minutes.

The first order of business was to open up the pedestal to see what the problem was.....well, as soon as I opened the lid I saw the 30 amp receptacle was partially melted......yup, there is a problem for sure.  After removing the face plate holding the 20 and 30 amp receptacles and their breakers I saw yet more issues......the insulation on two wires had melted and had to be replaced along with the receptacle.  My next step was to retire to the maintenance yard to pick up wire, and a new 30 amp receptacle, which I did in short order.  In all it took me just about an hour to remove the bad wire and receptacle, clean up the box, and install the new wire and receptacle.  I put it all back together, and then plugged in my testing device to check the circuit integrity and all the lights lit up properly, so I plugged the customer's power cord back in and all was well.

So, here it is approaching 9:30 and I haven't finished my first round of the day.......my routine is completely off the tracks.  I wasn't able to finish my first site check round until close to 11 am.....it seemed like one thing after another got in the way.  All you can really do when things go off the rails is just keep your head down and keep pushing forward and that is what I did.  Eventually I did get back on track finishing my final round of the day a little after 3:30 pm.  In between I spent time watching the entrance to keep traffic from backing up.....even though we only had 34 arrivals it seemed they would come in bunches of 3, and 4 at a time......reloading the 'ICE HOUSE' conveyor belt with 7 pound bags of ice, and picking up litter.  The inside temperature of the 'ICE HOUSE' is around 10 degrees, so if one needs to cool off it is a great place to spend 15 minutes!

I was off the clock just before 4 pm, and riding my bike home......once again I turned on the A/C which we ran for about 2 hours before turning it off and opening up all the windows.  I grilled some fish for TLE to which she added roasted corn and cooked spinach.

Thanks for stopping by!

Red stakes in the morning Ranger take warning.....

I know when I tell you the high yesterday was 87 and I describe that as 'HOT' that some will roll their eyes......go ahead.....I can take it.  The older I get the less tolerant I am of temperatures over 80 degrees, and seemingly less able to adapt to them.  Right now I am just kind of enduring the current heatwave giving us temps in the high 80's, waiting for the temps to drop back into the 70's again in about a week.

I've been working on a project for a few days getting our red site stakes ready for the 4th of July, which is the only weekend during the year that we sell sites out in the overflow area.  Right now we are 100% booked, and there are still people willing to pay close to $50/night for a tent only site where no cooking is allowed, and certainly no campfires allowed, due to fire risk.  The walk to the nearest bathroom is long, and yet they will pay close to $200 for four nights for just a place to sleep just to be here at Lake Tahoe on this particular weekend.  Over the past few years our supply of the red stakes has dwindled down to 23......we need about 50, so it fell to me to paint new ones and get the count back up to 50......will we rent 50 overflow sites this year?  I have no idea, but it's better to have too many than too few, right?

After finishing the painting, and attaching a clip to hold the site tag when it is issued I went out to overflow and began to pound them into the ground.....in past years we have waited until we sell an overflow site, then escorted the camper out to the overflow area and let them choose where they wanted to set their tent up, then pound the stake into the ground.  It was a nice concept, but it was a nightmare for the Ranger, me, to find them each day as they were randomly placed, and followed no numerical order.  Well, if you know me at all, or have been reading my ramblings for any period of time you understand that 'ORDER' is one thing that I pursue.  So this year we (me) are choosing the tent sites in advance and placing the stakes in numerical order so doing site checks will be easier, and way more efficiently accomplished.

By the time I clocked out my butt was dragging from the heat......in fact, when I stopped by our site to drop off my tools before clocking out I went inside the coach to turn on the A/C for the first time since we arrived at TVC....I really wanted to come home to conditioned air.  After dropping off the cart I rode my bike back to the office to clock out and head for the barn.  TLE arrived home a few minutes after me, and we spent the early evening inside enjoying the refrigerated air.  By 6 pm if was back into the 70's, so we turned off the A/C and opened the windows for the evening.

Wednesday the madness that is the 4th of July in the Tahoe Basin begins....stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!