A Sleepy Summer Setting

The RV campground at the Fall River Dam here in rural southeast Kansas is a little gem.  It is quiet, there is lots of green grass and large trees of various specimens, oaks, maples, locust, cottonwoods, pines, ash and more.  The grounds are  well-maintained and the restrooms are clean.  We don't have to use the restrooms, but I always look at them as an indicator of how well a campground is maintained.  In addition, the camp hosts are friendly and very helpful.  Perfect.

 As I walked around taking some photos I kept thinking that this would be the kind of place where Tom Sawyer would feel at home.

On the downstream side of the dam is the lovely and meandering Fall River.  Here catchers of fish –. men and herons alike – stalk its banks. And surprisingly comfortable concrete benches under a 100 plus year-old cottonwood invite one to read to contemplate or to take photos.

Now I will relate what I call the $127 error.  When we drove here Saturday, we spent a lot of time on very dusty country roads trying to find the campground.  I became concerned about all the dust that probably became lodged in the expensive engine air filter that Motorhomes of Texas had just replaced.  I had good reason to be concerned because Moose was coated in thick dust everywhere.  

Two rolls of paper towels are stacked  next 

to the filter to give you an idea of it size.

So, in an attempt to take good care of the engine I decided to blow out the dust from this big filter. Fortunately, I happened to describe my filter cleaning action on the Foretravel Forum. I was surprised when several members responded immediately and told me I had just created a situation that would surely damage the engine if I continued to use the filter.  What?  I was only trying to make the filter cleaner.  But what I did was bring fine limestone dust to the interior of the filter where it would be drawn into the engine the next time I turned it on and the grit would circulate in the oil and help wear down the piston rings,  resulting in an engine that would burn oil and become a candidate for rebuilding. Fortunately, the only damage done was to my ego.  I located a replacement filter here in nearby Fredonia at the local NAPA store, where it only cost $127.06 to fix my error. Ouch. Expensive lesson.

Thursday we head to Hays, Kansas where Foretravel friend Gary Omel has promised to treat us to a real old-fashioned 4th of July celebration.

Stay tuned