A BLAST TO THE PAST

From the time we first met in the mid 1970's, Patty and I were living in Los Banos, and later Jamestown, both in Central California.  Over the next 25 years, we got to know lots of people, and a few remain as treasured friendships.  Two of those very special friends are Bruce & Karen Pryor, who we visited with yesterday at their home in Ripon.  Karen fixed us a nice lunch, and as we reminisced about the "good ole days", before we knew it, 4 hours had passed in what seemed like an instant.

When we moved from Jamestown to Lake Havasu in 2002, Bruce & Karen were right there, even making the trip with us to Arizona.  You don't forget things like that, and when they later relocated from Manteca to Lake Don Pedro, I made a point of riding the Harley back to CA, so I could help them with their move.  We both enjoyed our visit, and thanks for a great lunch!

It was about 4pm when we headed over to Art & Linda Mitchell's home in Modesto, where we spent a few hours with our friends, and former business partners.  Their son A.J. was also home, and it's always a treat to spend time with this amazing young man who has spent his entire life in a wheelchair.  Born with Spina bifida, A.J. has overcome many obstacles, and at just under 30 years of age, he's training to participate in a half marathon.  Linda had to leave for a prior commitment, but we got to spend some quality time with her before she left.  We stayed a little longer, visiting with Art & A.J. before we headed back to Atwater as it was starting to get dark.  As often happens, I forgot to use the camera during our visit.

Generally speaking, business partnerships don't usually work over the long haul, and I'm sure that just about everybody has heard horror stories about partnerships that have gone bad.  When Art & I decided to move forward on a partnership to build, and open a brand new Harley-Davidson Dealership in the mid 90's, I went into that business arrangement with my eyes wide open, knowing that more often than not, partnerships usually don't work.  Fortunately, for a lot of reasons I won't get into here, this particular partnership DID work. After we retired from the business in 2001, we ended the business arrangement, but emerged as better friends than when the whole thing started.  Co-owning, and running a successful business for over 6 years was a highlight in our lives, and we will always be grateful to Art & Linda for opening that door.

FANTASY DRAG RACING

When Sunday rolls around, you can usually find me in front of the tube, at least for a couple of hours.  I don't watch NASCAR every weekend, but when the NHRA is drag racing, as they were in Houston yesterday, I'll be glued to the action.  My two boys (Mike & Marc) and I, are into our second year of a fantasy drag racing league.  I had never done any kind of fantasy sports until last year, when Mike was doing a stint in Afghanistan, he created a fantasy drag racing league to help pass the time.  Marc & I joined, and when the dust had settled at the end of the season, Marc won, I came in second, and Mike was third. 

Currently, I'm third, but gained a bunch yesterday, when I beat the boys by about 100 points.  The rules are pretty simple, nothing much more than picking the drivers you think will win their respective class, and who will come in second.  This coming weekend, the NHRA traveling road show will be in Atlanta.

Before the racing started yesterday, I spent several hours wiping down the motor home.  Just before leaving Tucson, I made the mistake of taking the rig to a truck wash.  Even though that got all of the dirt off, the end result was water spots everywhere!  So, it was back to my tried and true method of bucket washing, which not only gets the dust and dirt off, it doesn't leave any spotting after I use a towel to dry the surface. 

The next 3 days will be busy ones, as we catch up with family and friends.  Today we're off to Modesto to see Bruce & Karen Pryor, then later, our former business partners, Art & Linda Mitchell.

PARKED AT THE KASTLE

The drive west on Hwy 58 from Boron, started about 9am yesterday morning.  The Tehachipi Pass route between Mohave and Bakersfield is one that I always enjoy driving, especially when there's a few trains in view, as they work their way over the mountain.  The drive north on Hwy 99 from Bakersfield, now that's another story.  I've been up and down this road so many times, I can just about tell where every bump is located.  There's several much needed widening projects going on right now, and believe me, there's lots of bumps in the road!

We arrived at Nancy's place in Atwater, early in the afternoon, and it was good to reunite with our good friend, who we last saw in January, while doing the "Q" in Quartzsite, AZ.  We'll be parked here for the next few days, as we make arrangements to see Patty's son David, and several friends who live in the area.  Our next stop is in Grass Valley, where we're meeting up with our Golden Spike RV Chapter, for a rally.  From there, we'll be working our way north to Alaska.

Arabian Oasis RV park - $20  Cumulative $20
Diesel at Pilot - Hwy 99 Ave 18 1/2  $3.92 per gallon = $275   Cumulative = $360
Total miles = 263    Cumulative = 807   Fuel mileage average = 7.9 mpg

1ST DAY - 544 MILES

We pulled away from the "Last Chance Ranch" at 8:30am, headed for California.  It's no secret, that when I'm behind the wheel of the motor home, I'm a happy camper.  The only pit stops I need to make are for things like fuel, an occasional bite to eat, and to use the bathroom.  The eating part is often done while I'm still behind the wheel.  I haven't quite figured out how to do the other two things at 65 miles per hour.

Our route across the desert yesterday was W/B on I10 to I8 around Phoenix, then back on I10 all the way to the outskirts of LA.  From there, it was I210 to I215 to I15 up the Cajon Pass.  Every time I travel up, or down this iconic corridor, I can't help but marvel at the ingenuity of the railroads, as they figured out a way to lay their tracks up, and over this famous pass.  At the top of Cajon Pass, we left I15 for N/B US395, staying on a 40 mile section of heavily traveled two laned road that really needs widening to 4 lanes.

There's really no need to pass when there's a line of traffic that seems to have no end.  Yet, there's always one in every crowd.  Fortunately, I was watching Miss Parnelli Jones, as she pulled out to pass me, almost directly in front of a line of S/B traffic, coming from the opposite direction.  As I simultaneously hit the brakes, the air horn, and swerved to the right, the lead car in the S/B traffic also swerved onto the shoulder, so Miss lead foot could have enough room to avoid a head on collision.  It's at those moments when I really wish I could reach out and touch someone!

 Miss Gracie has decided that a perch above mom is the newest place to travel down the highway.

After surviving Hwy 395, we turned west on Hwy 58 for only a few miles, stopping in Boron for the night. The Arabian RV Oasis is a Passport America park, a place we've stopped at before.  More importantly, it's about a 4-5 block walk to Domingo's Mexican Restaurant.  The food is always good, and we were both ready for dinner.  We'll arrive at Nancy's today, a much shorter drive of 200+ miles.

Total miles = 544     Cumulative = 544
Diesel at Pilot in Eloy (I10 exit 208)       $3.36
Diesel at Pilot in Quartzite (I10 exit 17)  $3.58 = $85.00  Cumulative = $85.00

Even though fuel prices are dropping, it's not likely we'll see diesel under $4 a gallon in CA.  This Pilot was at the junction of I15 and Hwy 395.

AWAY WE GO

 

Wouldn't you know it, the day before we leave, as I'm chewing on some food, I feel this loose thing that shouldn't be floating around in my mouth.  Yep, it's one of my gold crowns that came off for the second time.  The last time was a couple of years ago, when we were working at the Grand Canyon.  I had a dentist in Flagstaff re-cement the thing on, and it's stayed in place until yesterday.  With my history of dental problems, I keep an emergency dental "glue kit" on hand for just this type of thing.

This dental fix it kit is a lot better than super glue, which I've been know to use in the past.  When you mix the two ingredients together, the paste becomes a dental super glue on steroids, that with any luck, will last another couple of years.  Perhaps I can now add "dental assistant" to my resume!

We took Marc & Laila out to dinner last night, Chandra is in CA taking care of some landlord issues with their rental property in Monterey.  It's the last opportunity we had to see Marc & Laila, and "see ya later" is always a bitter sweet kind of thing.  We'll miss our family, but look forward to new adventures on the road.  Our departure this morning will be the start of an approx. 10,000 mile trip, that will take us to Alaska, and back.  Much of the scenery will be familiar, but I have some side trips, and a few new roads in mind, that will expose us to new landscapes.  We'll take two days for the 766 mile trip to Nancy's place in Atwater, CA., stopping somewhere tonight in the Southern CA high desert. 

ONE DAY TO GO

Today is our last day at the Chance Ranch for awhile, and we'll be doing all of those last minute things before taking off tomorrow morning.  It looks like the weather temps will be a little bit on the hot side, as we head west across the deserts of Arizona, and Southern California.  Depending on what time we get out of here, we'll probably end up somewhere between Barstow & Bakersfield tomorrow night. 

The last 6-7 months have been a busy time for the two of us.  We've moved from Lake Havasu City to Vail (Tucson), done a whole bunch of improvements to our new property, and still managed to spend a few weeks in the motor home at our annual pilgrimage to Quartzsite & Yuma.  We have mixed emotions about leaving for an extended period of time, but are excited to retrace our many journeys north, and return to Alaska.  We're going to miss our kids (Marc, Chandra, & Laila), but look forward to seeing Patty's son David, and friends along the way.  The newest installment of "Travel By Chance" is about to begin!

SEWING & SHARPS

Getting the motor home packed, serviced, and repaired has been our focus for the last few days.  One of the things on my "to do" list, was to either replace the two passenger side slide top awnings, or re-tape the front and back seams.  The stitching (thread) started to deteriorate a couple of years ago, but I've been able to keep those leading edges together with clear awning tape.  I've already replaced the two slide toppers on the other side of the motor home for the same reason.
 

Re-tapping the seams was my first inclination, but when I took a closer look, the thread was all but gone, and the tape only lasts for a short time.  So, I got a quick sewing lesson from Patty, borrowed her biggest needle, and restitched the front and back seams on both awnings with double fishing line.  I think it's safe to say, that by the time this thread on steroids deteriorates, there's going to be lots of other components that will probably be dust in the wind. 

One of my favorite beverages is the non-alcohol beer Sharps.  When I quit drinking the leaded stuff  a few decades ago, I never lost the taste for beer, and Sharps has been my substitute choice ever since.  Non-alcohol beer, particularly Sharps was much more popular 10-15 years ago, but now, it's almost impossible to find.  The only places in Arizona that carry the stuff, are the big box beverage stores like BevMo, or Wine and More.  Even those specialty stores usually only stock a few twelve packs. 

A few summers ago, while spending most of that time in OR & WA, I was surprised to find that there were a few stores that actually stocked Sharps.  Well, being one for not leaving anything to chance, I special ordered 10 twelve packs, and loaded them in the motor home yesterday.  As I said yesterday, we take some stuff out, and we usually put more stuff back in.  Countdown  - two days to launch!

PUTTING IT ALL AWAY

The pre-summer ritual of moving trailers, tractors, and boats (when we have one), inside for the months that we are away, was once again on the agenda yesterday.  After I repositioned the 3 two wheelers, I moved the enclosed trailer into the middle back of the garage.  Next in was the tractor, directly in front of the trailer.

The shop side of the garage is where the truck and small trailer will reside, leaving over 30 feet of empty space on the other side for Marc & Chandra's boat.  They have a covered space for their boat at a storage facility, but having it entirely inside means they can leave the cover off, and it will be easier, and quicker to take out for use.

We've both been busy cleaning out some old stuff from the motor home, while at the same time, moving new stuff inside.  Just when I think we've lightened the weight a bit, more new things that we think we can't live without, magically find their way into the little house.
 

We're pretty excited about returning to a place we called home for 4 summers, and can't wait to see what changes have taken place in our former hometown of Skagway.  As of today, our departure will be this Friday.  By the time we have worked our way up to Alaska, it will most likely be sometime in June, and there's lots to see, and do, between here and there.

INDECISION

Before taking Laila home, we went into town to see if we could find a couple of things in the way of clothes for our little girl.  She's starting to grow like a weed, and her well used flip flops were a bit on the short side.  At Wally World, there was an entire aisle of flip flops and sandals.  You would think that out of all that footwear to choose from, someone could make a decision.  If you guessed yes, you would be as wrong as I was.  At some point, the focus moved to tennis shoes, and there was an even bigger selection of the canvas shoes.  Laila tried on several pair, and they were either too tight, too loose, or just not the right ones.  While Grandma was displaying an incredible amount of patience, I wandered over to the men's section and picked up some socks.  When I returned, the decision making process hadn't advanced beyond where it was a few minutes earlier.

When it comes to shopping, patience is not one of my virtues.  Whether it's groceries, or anything else, I can fill a cart faster than it takes a top fuel dragster to cover 1,000 feet!  I finally grabbed a pair of flip flops that I liked, threw them in the cart, and away we went to the clothing section.  I should have realized that a repeat of the same scenario might just be a real possibility..  Sure enough, even though Laila picked out a skirt that she liked, and I quickly threw it in the cart before a change of mind could occur, finding a top to match, was another exercise in patience.  Finally, after spending what seemed like hours in the dressing room, while this future fashion model tried on all of the different tops, and some shorts, we finally emerged with two items that were keepers.  Like Chandra later opined, " Unless I'm really feeling patient, I just pick out her clothes", which is what we probably will do in the future, unless of course, we've been blessed with an extra dose of patience.

A DAY AT THE FAIR

I can't remember the last time I went to a county fair, but it's safe to say that it's been at least a decade or three.  We got an early start yesterday, arriving at the Pima County Fair not too long after it opened for business at 10am.  As County Fairs go, this is a pretty big one, running for 10 days. 

We first walked through one of the 3 large buildings, where all of the vendors reminded us of the many RV rallies that we've attended.  Someone couldn't wait to get over to the carnival area, so that's where we headed next.  Laila and Grandma rode a few rides, then I was talked into going on the log ride.  It was a bit surprising that this type of ride is now able to be set up, and torn down within a few days.  Yep, it even had two hills, complete with big water splashes at the bottom of each.

 Laila sat in front on the log ride, and guess who got the wettest?

Not too many years ago, there was no such thing as a ride that would give me any kind of motion sickness.  Last year in San Diego, Laila and I rode the tilt-a-whirl, causing me to turn a couple of shades of green.  Yesterday, I let Grandma take Laila on the roundy round rides.
 

 If there's a train anywhere around, even a "G" scale, I'm the guy who'll find it!

 

 The petting zoo was a popular spot for big, and little kids.

 Grandma took this shot while we were watching the "wild about monkeys" show.

After several hours of walking, riding, and doing what you do at a county fair, we debated a "fair food" lunch, but decided to head for Quiznos instead.  In the Vail business area, there's a Dairy Queen next to Quiznos, and we might have stopped there, but I'm not admitting to anything!

This was our last full day with Laila before we head north toward Alaska.  We'll be taking her home later today, where the school week routine will once again be what's happening.  Only 4 more weeks of school, and the 1st grade will be history.  Where does the time go?

GENERATOR SERVICE & BURGERS

When I was in Yuma a few weeks ago, getting a bunch of dental work done in Algodones, Mexico, I had a mobile service guy change the generator oil, the oil filter, and the fuel filter.  Yesterday, I finished the generator service by draining the coolant, and changing the air filter.  The Onan service manual recommends that the coolant be flushed & changed every 2 years, so this was way over due, as our motor home is now a little over 6 years old.

Who ever designed the location of the radiator cap for Onan Generators, is..........let's see what word best fits......I've got it, that person(s) is a dunderhead!  The two caps in the next picture are yellow - oil dipstick/fill tube, and light colored is the coolant tank.  At first glance, one would think that both are where you add oil and coolant.  Well, you can top off the coolant level through the light colored cap, but when you drain the one gallon system, you have to refill through the pressurized cap, which is cleverly hidden under the service information plate.  That wouldn't be such a big deal, except that when you remove the plate, the coolant cap is almost impossible to extricate from where it's located.  Eventually, I made it happen, and put it all back together, but in the process, I relocated two wires with inline fuses that will make the next coolant change a little easier.  Where do these engineers/designers go to school?

Late afternoon, Chandra, Marc, Laila, and Sam came out to the house for a burger BBQ, and to leave  Laila for the weekend.  The 3 choices were beef, chicken, and black bean patties.  We enjoyed the afternoon sun on the front patio, and with potato salad, and baked beans, I think we all had plenty to eat.  Today, I think we're taking Laila to the Pima County Fair which started a couple of days ago.

No way that's going to fit in your mouth!

MOTOR HOME SERVICE

Over the last few years, I've gotten a bit lazy when it comes to routine maintenance on the motor home.  In Lake Havasu City, I took it to Joe's Auto/Truck/RV, and had great luck not only with the quality of work, but also the reasonable prices.  The last time the oil was changed was almost exactly one year, and 6,000 miles ago.  I always have spare filters, and enough oil, so I decided that yesterday was the day to "Git R Done" myself.

This motor home, and the last one, were both built with side radiators, making engine access much easier than those with rear radiators.  Except for having to crawl under the engine, the two fuel filters, the oil filter, and the air filter are all relatively easy to change.  By the time I had the filters changed, and a little over 6 gallons of fresh oil added to the engine, it was time to crawl around and grease the fittings underneath.  In Lake Havasu, I had a concrete surface, where I could use my creeper.  Yesterday, scooting around in the dirt on my back wasn't my idea of great fun, but eventually, I got R done.  The Cummins engine manual recommends that the oil be changed at 18,000 miles, but I rarely let it go beyond 5-6,000 miles.  We've put almost 70,000 miles on this motor home, with lots more to go, including a return trip to Alaska, starting in about a week.

THE FOURTH BLOG BOOK

 
The blog book for 2012 arrived yesterday.  This is the 4th year that I've converted a years worth of blog posts into a book, and it's progressively gotten bigger each edition.  All 271 posts, including pictures, are arranged on 326 pages of the new book.   blog2print  is the web address of the company I use to create the book from the travel by chance blog.  It's a bit pricey, partially because I get 4 books each year, one for each of the kids, and one for us.  As the book gets bigger each year, the cost is proportionally increased as well.  This year, each book was a little over $100, but, in order to preserve the writings, the once a year cost is secondary to the permanent record it creates.

 

Back to the gate for a moment........I put a stain/preservative on the gate lumber, and the keypad posts yesterday.  I also installed a locking mechanism in the middle of the gate.  When the gate swings shut, a solenoid is activated in the lock, closing around a pin on the other gate.   This keeps the gate from any movement during strong winds, which we get frequently.  It also prevents anyone from pushing open the automatic side of the gate.  The project is officially done!

This weekend is our last at the ranch before departure for Alaska.  Laila is staying with us Friday & Saturday night, for a final sleepover before we come back in about 5 months.  This will be the first time we're leaving for the summer, with someone specifically able to keep an eye on the house.  Marc will be in and out, and will be picking up, and forwarding our mail.  Our neighbor has also agreed to watch the place while we're gone.  New travels & adventures are just around the corner!

RETURNING TO ALASKA

It's been a few years (2007), since our last trip north to Alaska.  This summer, along with our pal Nancy in her motor home, we're headed back to the last frontier.  We'll be leaving Tucson in about 10 days, with the first stop at Nancy's place in Atwater, CA.

From our first visit to Alaska on a cruise ship in 1999, we were hooked.  In 2001, we sold our business, and spent a good part of that summer traveling around Alaska in our motor home.  After that trip, we were really hooked!.  A few years later, we found a way to live in Alaska, while working for a family business in Skagway for the entire summer.  That work gig turned into 3 more summers of living in Skagway, one of the most beautifully scenic places that we've ever experienced.

In 2001, I remember there was a lot of uncertainty, and a little bit of trepidation, as we started our journey up the Alaska Highway for the first time.  To our surprise, most of this road built during WWII, is in much better shape than many of the roads in the lower 48.  Since that first trip up the"Alcan", as it was first called, we've driven to Alaska 5 times.  It's a long drive, especially from our home in Southern, Arizona.  If we were to travel the most direct route (which we're not), the distance from Tucson to Fairbanks is just under 4,000 miles.  By the time we get back home, I'm estimating that we will have put close to 10,000 miles on the motor home.  In terms of mileage, this trip will be similar to the one we took in 2010, where we made a complete loop around the U.S., including parts of Canada,  putting 12,000 miles on the motor home.

If I were preparing a budget (which I'm not), at today's fuel prices, diesel will cost us somewhere around $6 -7,000.00.  Right now, the lowest diesel price in Dawson Creek, B.C. (start of the Alaska Hwy), is $1.30 per liter.  At the current exchange rate, and converting liters to gallons, that price equals approx. $4.90 per gallon.  In Fairbanks, the lowest diesel price today, is $4.24 at Sam's Club.

We will be spending a lot of nights boondocking (no hookups), but we'll also be paying for many nights in RV parks.  I'm kind of guessing that we'll be spending about $3,000 for the conveniences offered by RV parks.  There will be a lot of things that we want to do along the way, such as sightseeing excursions, train rides, & other touristy attractions, all of those come with a price.  The cost of food is something you pay for whether you're home or away, so it really doesn't figure in to the cost of the trip.  Having said that, food is quite a bit more expensive, especially in Northern Canada.

Over the years, when people (especially RV'ers) learn that we've made this trip many times, there are usually lots of questions.  Most of those inquiries are about the Alaska Highway.  No, it's not a gravel road anymore, but during the short summer construction time frame, there are usually some current road improvement projects.  These can be short stretches of dirt and gravel, to major projects like bridge replacement.  Trust me, the scenery and the wildlife exposure is worth any inconveniences regarding road construction.

If there's one trip that I would recommend to anyone who has an RV, it would be the trip we're about to take for the 6th time.  If you hate to drive, a trip up the Alaska Highway might not be for you.  For me, the adventure, and excitement of what's around the next corner is what it's all about. 

A WILD GOOSE CHASE

After my 3 day, 1,300 mile motorcycle ride last week, I parked the Harley in the garage, and have been ignoring the need to get it cleaned up.  With the gate finished, that was my chore yesterday.  When I had the bike washed and waxed, I took out one of the front passing lamps that had burned out on the trip.  First stop was O'Reilly Auto Parts.  No luck there, but they could special order the light for $30.  No thanks, but since I had already driven half way into town, I decided to continue the search for a light.  Another 10 miles or so, and I pulled up to a small motorcycle shop that specializes in Harley-Davidson parts & service.  Ooops, it's Monday, and some motorcycle businesses still cling to the traditional closed days of Sunday & Monday.

Next stop was a PepBoys.  You guessed it, not in stock.  Finally, I stopped at the Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, dealer, and when I told the parts person that the light was off a Harley, his immediate response was they didn't carry any Harley parts.  I said "I know, but it's a standard 12 volt light.  Don't any of the Japanese bikes use this light".  Quick answer - "NO".  OK, I'm not getting anywhere here, and feeling more and more by the second, that I'm in enemy territory, I headed out the door.

If the Harley Dealer wasn't clear across town, that would have been my next stop, but as the saying goes.......live to fight another day.  

THE GATE IS DONE

These are the last of the gate pictures, scouts honor!  Completion of the project required the installation of two posts with keypads, and I got that done yesterday morning.  The only thing left to do is removal of the temporary post supports, a little shovel work, and the project is finished!
 

I used the tractor to widen the drive thru area, then dumped and spread some gravel on the surface.  When driving thru the 10' wide open gate, you have to pay attention, but the width is sufficient for vehicles and pickups.  Our motor home will fit, but at over 8 feet wide, that doesn't leave much clearance on either side.  When we're coming or going in the RV, I'll open up the other half.

I had the trailer about half filled with yard waste, and Marc had some stuff that needed a trip to the dump. He's doing well after a second back surgery, but he's being smart about not lifting anything heavy.   After I cut most of an oleander bush down, and threw some other junk in the trailer, I had a full load.  Fortunately, Marc checked the dump website (the Internet knows everything), because I would have driven there, only to find that it was closed on Sundays.  A trip to the landfill is on the agenda today.  We stayed for a chicken dinner, Chandra's delicious macaroni and green salad, topped off with strawberry shortcake for desert.  On to new, smaller projects today.  It's only about 10 days before we leave for Alaska.  Yea!!

IT WORKS!

When one puts something together from scratch, there's always the lingering question - will it work?  With that question bouncing around in my head for the last few days,  I located the receiver antenna on top of the post next to the solar panel, and wired it to the electronic control arm.  The next wiring job was to connect the solar panel to the control arm, and the final bit of wiring was to connect the battery to the control arm.  When all of that was done, I hit the remote, and nothing happened.  What the?   Then I remembered that there is an on/off switch on the control arm that I hadn't turned on.  Once the switch was turned on, the remote opened and closed the 10' gate just like magic. 

 The solar panel and the wireless receiver antenna.

When I knew that the gate worked, I adjusted the electronic stops for the open & closed positions, and added the closed stop plate pictured above.  About the time I finished fine tuning everything, Marc & Laila came by for a visit.  Marc brought me a battery box that came out of his boat, the final part that I needed.  We spent the afternoon visiting, and playing with his remote control Jeep.  Actually, I think Laila had the most time with the controls, and she's gotten pretty good at maneuvering the 4 wheel drive toy around the property.

After Marc & Laila left, I started to program the two key pads, but ran into a glitch that I'll figure out this morning.  One good thing that I did discover is that the remote activates the gate from inside the house.  I didn't think it would work from that far away, but it does, at least it did yesterday.  


This morning I'm going to carefully dig the two holes for the keypad posts, cement them in the ground, and once they're in place, the gate project will pretty much be done.