OH ya I’m gunna do it again.. bought another small fiberglass trailer.. another Surfside.
Ok here’s your typical Tripple E Surfside trailer photo from the big wide web.
Yup that’s nice.. But here’s What I found for sale (and now own).. Followed me home. And got dirty.
Hey wait a minute ! That’s not my usual fixer upper ?
Well that’s cause I paid more for it..But not too too much.. When I was looking there were no collapsing to the ground trailers… Or everything painted green ones out there. All gone ! So I have to settle for “better” stuff. I know…it’s a change I will just have to put up with.. And this brings up the dilemma of ..what to work on and what to leave alone. Sigh.. Oh well we’ll get to that. I’m hoping to swap the boat for the Surfside in the garage , let it thaw out and get down to answering that.
OK how bout a few photos taken by the fella who sold it to me. I haven’t had time to take my own yet !
The Exterior of the trailer is in great condition.. Nothing broken or missing.. No obvious damage. But I’ve only spent about 30 min walking around looking things over. So I’m sure to find stuff that’s not right.
All the lights are there intact, but the wiring for them needs a look. He already had the tow lights installed. So rather than fiddle around it was just plug those in to get the trailer back home. The roof vent ,the fridge and furnace vents are good. All those ports for water and power still work. BTW those are hub caps on the 13 ” wheels. I like them ..but they could use new paint.
What’s the inside like ? Well the best way to describe it is ” 90% there but modified” Newer good cushions ! Faded denim curtains. However no table, no sink, no water system at all! Also missing : the stove, The12 volt wiring and no 12 volt lights ! The furnace is gone too, which I’m happy about that.
What is there ? Well the oldest little fridge I’ve seen yet. It would be a shock if it worked ! The cabinets are still good. I say that loosely because there are some modifications that won’t work for me. But it’s better than not having the cabinets !
Not sure what’s going on here? Some kind of storage. Interesting light fixture ! It’s the only light. And the final photo I’ll show you…
The closet ! It’s great and the builder’s tag is still inside.
I’m not going to miss the stuff that isn’t there. someone just saved me the trouble of tossing it . But the stuff that IS there will save me a lot of work. And in some cases ( like the cushions) a lot of money. They cost about $1500. to have made. Once I park it in the garage and let it thaw out.. We will take inventory of things and more details. Plus some videos. More on ..
We live in a trail rich area here in the Drumheller valley. It’s bike friendly for sure. Many kilometers of paved pathways through town and out to the burbs. And they are adding more due to the deal with CNR for the old rail grade through town. Already a section east from downtown has been paved, with plans to take it further. Hopefully this will include the train bridge over the river just west of town. It has been blocked off since the rails were taken up. I’m talking about this because we really could use more activities to keep us healthy. Accessing these trails are just two blocks down the street from us. That puts us close to a great activity that does not involve driving. We have two peddle bikes already , good ones that haven’t been used in many years. But it’s not as flat out here as you would think, so they may be more work then we want.
This is the answer..
A folding E bike ! Why folding? Our new house lacks the storage we had before the move. And the fold up ones need less space. Plus we won’t need a bike rack to take these along on a trip. These bikes are fully equipped with powerful motors and large batteries with lot’s of range. The photo above is the exact model I have ordered. I will of coarse have better photos when this… the first one arrives.. Yes first one if we like what we see then we will order a second one.. But we are thinking maybe a step through frame. Like the one below !
You can see the difference. On this bike the seat post has the suspension.
While I wait for the bike I’m still researching E bikes. Most of them are out of the USA . The exchange rate is not good and add to that cost of shipping. Even very few of the Canadian offerings are free shipping. So you must compare all costs. You also must compare the components used to build the bike. And not just the motors and batteries but the brakes, gears and the LCD screen for the controller and it’s ability to be configured. They just sent me the manual for the bike.. It blows me away how much I can change the bikes performance. Here’s the controller screen that comes with the bike I ordered.. Color !
There’s a lot more info on these than other bikes have.. You can also see maximum speed and average speed. And like I said it’s customizable . The 5 you see is the highest peddle assist level. This one is feature rich, or loaded as we say. And here’s an interesting fact that I believe true. Even a long time ago when I was selling bikes. Most bikes except for the very expensive custom ones are built in China.. Or at the least the frame is. Even brands you know well go to China and have their bikes built to their specifications. When the bikes get here the company may unpack the bike and add custom things.. or at least go over the bike so they can offer a warranty. But more often the bikes come shipped as you see them. There in the hundreds of offerings you will see the same frame being used. If you are shopping around you will notice that. So I will review the Fabulous bike carefully .
Update: The bike is coming on Monday.. So two weeks delivery time from Montreal.. That seams right..
It’s here ! Safe and not damaged. Time to unpack and still look it over carefully. Well it’s great and came with a few surprises. A bag for the rear rack.. And a really neat tool that fits all the nuts & bolts on the bike.
It’s Panniers ! Wow did not see that coming. The tool is great too. Comes with it’s own little pouch. Neat.
And they changed the left hand thumb throttle for a right hand twist throttle. I asked for that. Thanks I like that better. Here it is…
Without the battery,, that’s charging. I love it ! While the battery is charging I tweaked the handle bars and the stuff mounted on them to suit me.. I’m kinda fussy about my brake levers angled down a bit.
Time for a new page. Now that the bike is here. Page 2
OK I’m ready ! The best place to start is with some cleaning. So do I remove the plastics ? Or not worry about what’s under them. It’s not like I’m pressed for time.. However the time is coming soon where I will have to stop using the out side water..
I started with this part of the quad. Pretty much all of the electrical is here. And it was very dirty, so gave it a bath with the cyclone detail gun and a brush. That’s a genital way to clean. Now I can read the fuse bock words!
I removed the rear rack to better clean the fenders and fix the crack from the underside. I’ll take this kind of stuff outside for a date with the pressure washer. Carefully..
With the sticher I fixed the crack inside the trunk. There much better. Bath Time ! I only removed the rear rack and the winch cover. And I did use the outside water and my diluted purple power cleaner. Then I put the stitches on the under side of the crack on the rear rack. That takes care of all the plastic repair for now.
Wow it’s looking great..
I just erased 9 years from this one.. I got a great deal. This is the way the quad will sit till all the bits and pieces come next week. How ever the winch rope came the next day.
Yup bright red.. easy to see. I had a new hook and a Warn rubber stop too. This rope is supposed to be good for 8000 lbs. The Polaris winch is a 2500 lb one and the ATV weighs less than 700 lbs. And I have used winches in the past… get high centered on a log in the snow …and you will be thankful you have one. So That’s why I’m fixing this one.
I had to remove the winch from the ATV. Put it in the vice and spray the old cable… Tug Tug to get it free. It was jammed in the spool… someone ran it in too far. any way I win.. Above is the new synthetic line , hook and rubber stop. What’s the checkerboard metal under the atv you say ?
It’s on the lift table ! I can roll around on my stool to do the work.. Nice…So I’ve been removing each wheel so I can better check the brake pads and the condition of the bearings and bushings.
New video… While we wait for parts.
Parts are here… now the winch works perfectly. I was cleaning the air filter box and discovered these cracks on the under side of the boot that goes to the carburetor.
no way can I fix this …and I’m not going to duct tape it either. New one ordered.
So it’s now spring 2023. The snow is all gone and the the weather is getting warm. I wish I had an indoor place for the Polaris… but I don’t. So it has been siting all winter since mid October with a cover.
And .. well that’s been just fine. A week ago on a very warm day I took the cover off. Just for a lark I gave it a little choke and it started right up. ! Wow ! Running just fine.. Needs an oil change ..so that’s next.
Update : So the poor quad has continued to sit there under the cover. No place to go… no place to ride.. I fired it up once to move the utility trailer ( seen behind the quad) and that’s it.. It’s August now and I’ve decided to list it for sale.. The plan is to use the money for something I will use. Thinking of a jeep TJ to do some exploring here in Alberta. We’ll see what happens..
Wow six months has passed by in December.. It’s now the end of January and I’m looking back at those first months here in the new house and new community. It was a cold winter..
However !
Spring 2022.
I’m making a new post for 2022.. Because things are changing for us.
We always thought we would stay in this house….. But
In late March 2021… I took note of the price of homes here in Grand Forks going up. Considerably ! And … there was only a few on the market. Bidding wars in Grand Forks.. Unheard of until now. When I mentioned this to the wife …she jokingly said “lets go to Drumheller”
Well that opened a can of worms..
And so after a bit of thoughts on the idea. Living close to the kids and Grand Kids, the pros the cons. I checked out the house market in Drumheller, and WOW lots of homes to choose from and much lower prices than here. So We decided to list our home.
And with a messy driveway and the shop full of stuff… IT SOLD ! In two days.. no conditions and over asking ! Unreal. I guess we are off to the Drum to find a house. We have two months !
This was a very interesting process.. scary too. But it’s better to sell your home then look for another… instead of buying another before you sell your home.
We had a bit of time at home to short list the possibilities. And there was one that was #1 on the list. The home on Pinter Dr was the first one we wanted to see. and the only rural home too.
This home was in a Rosedale area of Drumheller. Just a tad under an acre of nicely treed property , and some very nice outdoor living space. Plenty of flat parking for all my trailers. Most of all QUIET. But the house did not impress Mo at all. The photos made it look better than it was.. It needs some work. To be expected on most homes.
So we were off to see more homes…
For the next two days we looked at lots of homes . And most were worse than the first house. But some were promising too. Some were more money than we wanted to spend, but move in ready. But all were missing the yard space and elbow room from neighbors that we like. Sometime during those two days we got stressed thinking we would have to compromise. On the second day at the last unimpressive house… Maureen told the agent and me that maybe she was too hard on her opinion of the Pinter Dr home, and wanted a second look. Well that was interesting.. We did that and talked about the things that she did not like. I assured her that things can be changed and improved.. So we put an offer in… and after a little back and forth we got the deal we wanted. So we have a place to move too.
Purging & Packing !
Moving sale ! Big one .
It spilled out into the driveway. We sold a truck load of stuff in the first day ! Plus we were filling a dumpster at the same time. Very little of this pile was left after two days. HI FIVE.. Added to that I sold some bigger items & found homes for other stuff. One trailer load of wood to the landfill. Three trailer loads of metal to the landfill. My shop was loaded into the horse trailer.
And I mean loaded… packed tight.
Eric came from Calgary and we loaded two more trailers. So three trucks each towing a trailer.. This was the shop and the toys…
Like the boat and the Kabota.
The ATV and kayaks. We made a trip to Eric’s place and stashed all this there.. It’s now in Alberta and only two hours drive to go fetch.
Mid May.. and we are doing good!
Mo has packed up most of the house.. We are having movers come on the 28 th and taking all the house hold and furniture. I will be making a trip this week to take the travel trailer to the Drumheller house and parking it there.. And talk with the lady who sold us the home. A scouting trip to see where the movers need to put things. Cause we will be making the drive there when they are unloading.
This is the piles of boxes in the garage. Wow! And as for the things the movers are not taking. well that will fit on the two trailers and in the two trucks on moving day. More to come:
The Visit:
It’s the 20 th of May and I’m heading for the Drum with our travel trailer. Driving through a bloody blizard in May ! Another Alberta welcome.. Fortunately as I drove closer to Drumheller the weather got real again. The very nice lady we are buying the house from allowed us to park things in the yard. Nice. This gives me a chance to meet her and learn some things about the house.
Big yard ! I had most of a day to sit on the patio and wander around and take some photos. Ask questions and get answers to some mysteries. All good and I felt better knowing more about the house instead of worrying about what we will find.
But the best part is looking closer at gems like this fantastic cedar gazebo. And the 18 x 14 barn.. It’s legit !
What I thought was and old crappy shed is dry and can be secure storage. I also checked out the house in detail. And there is only the things that we knew about.. A great visit with Tari on the covered porch. And off I go home. I now have a clear sense of where our stuff goes.
Moving Day:
Wow I had a big garage ! The movers have come and gone.. we are sleeping on the floor… sitting in camp chairs.. Cats are freaked out (just wait).
The Big Day Has Come !
We hit the road early. got our selves a CONVOY. Two trucks pulling trailers and the Kia.. Two howling cats.. Dave was the one with the quiet ride. I had the girl cat and she voiced her displeasure for five hours. It’s a 10 hour drive to the new home, and our convoy did not stay together.. I only stopped once for a bathroom break and fuel. While we were driving the movers were unpacking our stuff into the house with help from my Son. They had food in the fridge and supper made. Welcome to Rosedale / Drumheller, Alberta. Also called the Badlands.
And the rural property that I always wanted but far away from Grand Forks. So now that we are here let’s start a new page :
And I’m getting out lots ATV ing… It’s now a tradition to go camping 56 kms up the Granby Rd.. Hunting season ! I don’t hunt but the boys aren’t all that serious about it either. It’s a chance for camp fires … bad food.. and exploring on our ATV’s My camping rig worked out good..
I had my own cozy place… Unfortunately it rained more that we would have liked.. which dampened the fire and I got cold & wet every time I went for a ride. Then in the second week I got the chance to try a Side by side ATV.. A Polaris RZR 800.
And yes it has a roof and a windscreen ! Wish I had that the week before.. In trade for using this I fixed the bush guard seen above..
Here you can see that it’s bent down and it’s loose too.. I removed it for the rides I went on.. put on about 120 kms of mixed riding.. and I even took a friend along one of the rides.. I really like the protection and the safe feeling …. not to mention the dry / not cold feeling. It goes everywhere the quads went.. It’s only 4 inches wider.
You can see a bit of snow.. yup it’s cold. But I was warm.. and it’s comfy too.. In the spring my friend will be selling this RZR.. and I may just want it.. After all it’s got a new and improved bush guard !
Also lot’s of storage in the rear tray too..
I like it.. So we’ll see next spring if I make a deal… and ATVing will never be the same..
Jan 2019 : NOT Spring.
I did a lot of research on RZR’s since that ride. Looking at used ones.. The prices, the features and the condition. One of them got my attention since early December.. And it was at the dealer where I bought my 400 quad. So naturally they are willing to trade. This one is a 2014 Polaris RZR 570.. with all the goodies I want.. So without further ado… I’ll make another post… Oh and The 800 got sold to someone..
This is a new post that will be for info on our Summer Group Camping..
We scored big this coming summer.. getting the site for the August long weekend
This year … 2014 we have the Groupsite booked from: Wednesday. July 30 th .. to .. Sunday August 10th. The gate is open for us 1:00 pm on the 30th.. And we leave the Monday morning by 11:00 am. That’s 12 whole days of fun , relaxation & visiting.. Come for as many days as you like..
Also this year we will be helping Jens & Diane celebrate their 50 th Anniversary …. Stay tuned for the plans..
Waiting for the gate 2013
Hopefully we all avoid this line up for this year.. We were all so anxious to get there for our short time that we kinda piled up at the gate.. They won’t let us in till 1:00 so no point in being early.
July 16 th.. :
Well it’s getting close.. and it looks like there may still be a campfire ban in effect by the time we arrive at camp.. I will wait till the last minute to load any wood..
Update: July 22..
We are looking at just over a week now.. Campfires are allowed AT THIS TIME… so we will bring some wood.. The compessor is dead..so we will have to do with our own inflators..
I made an adapter to use on one of the 30 amp plugs. It splits the 30 amp into two. So we would have three 30 amps.. Dave repaired the cage compressor that we use to inflate stuff.. it was getting tired .. we don’t use it here at home anymore.. But it should be good for the summer..
Last year in 2013.. we had to find other ways to camp because of only getting the four days.. A few of us went to the Arosa Ranch up on Anarchist Mountain You can see the Facebook page.. Give them a call very nice place with full hook ups.
Spring is here !
And camping will come before you know it.. I was kindly donated three more River float tubes.. the good kind that we like.. so they will be added to the bin of floaties.. Just like the one in the photo below except yellow & black.. so no worries if anyone needs extras.
My sister invited me to join her for a Quad Adventure.. hosted by the Nelson Club. what the heck this is something I’ve never done before.. Kathy had two good quads , I used the 2004 Polaris 500 AWD. She had a newer Artic Cat , so away we go.. To the Bombi Pass on Hwy 3 .. Lots of logging roads and trails. And our leader / straw boss got a bit lost..and none of us had GPS.. or even a compass. What ! Live and learn.
Lot’s of Quads that day I think a dozen or so
This map is of the Bombi Pass between Castlegar & Salmo on Hwy 3. I traced our path in Pink. You can see the Hwy bottom left. He wanted to go to the power line .. we were heading the totally wrong way. .But it was fun.. and for a bunch of beginners we got a work out.. some very steep rocky trails.. and some just plain old logging roads. In the end it was all good DUSTY fun.. We just had to reverse back along the way we came..Good thing I’m good with directions.. The Polaris & I got a long just fine.. Even better when I remembered to take the parking brake off. I’m amazed at where this things can go.. It was a hot day too.. Here we are found some shade to wait for the others to catch up. The Quad I was ridding is the one she sold to my friend Dave.. It’s great. The red Artic Cat that Kathy is on she has sold as well.. So now I’m fixing up one of my own.. See Post.. Let the adventures begin.
It wasn’t far.. just 55 kms from home. But the purpose was to test out the trailer in the real world and see what we liked and needed to change.
Midway Community Campground :
That is where we went .. with our friends along with their trailer too.. We’ve been thinking of trying out the small riverfront campground for a while.. and this was the perfect time.. $20 a night with 15 amp power ! good deal. AND you are backed up to the river.. NICE. It’s quiet.. like the rest of Midway. Anyway it was all about testing the trailer out.. And we love it.. Everything worked as it should.. we have more cupboards then we need.. and we had to keep turning the temp down on the fridge so stuff wouldn’t freeze. The trailer towed sooo nice on the highway. It’s a keeper.. We love the bed.. love the kitchen..
In fact it’s so good that we want to use it more.. we want to come back to this campground just for the weekends a few times. It’s very relaxing.. and only a 40 minuet drive. We also want to check out some other places that are within a hours drive.. More camping…
