Boy is it ever cold in Minnesota!!!

Well this is how the generator consultation ended up - the guy at Bridgeway said he could get a part shipped overnite - while he was with Randy I found another generator dealer named Woverine in Gaylord and found a map to get there on the computer. The guy came out and worked on it for awhile and replaced a solenoid and thought some work needed to be done to the belt to the alternator - this was something we had had our friends in White Cloud work on before so Randy decided we would go back home and have them fix it. So after we drove home in pretty much a blizzard, we had to put the chains on the tires to get in the driveway! There was way too much snow to slug the dogs back into their circles so they stayed the nite in the trailer - while we went in and turned the water, hot water heater on and started a fire. It seemed funny to be home again even for one nite when we thought we wouldn't be back till April!! While he was recuperating on the couch, Randy happened to think about how he could access the alternator belt without taking it to Midway and have them take the whole generator out - he cut a hole in the wall from the inside!!!! So he fixed the belt and decided that he still wanted to go back to the 2nd generator consutant and get a circuit board because things were still not working perfect. So back on the road again on Tues morn up to Gaylord, replaced the circuit board ($200) and still not working - until the magical repairman twisted one little part of the board with his pocket knife!!! Yea! Back on the road and this time made it up to the other side of Manistique. After we fed/dropped dogs and were on the road again Randy noticed some of the lights not working, checked the tail-lights on the trailer and they were out again (after he had just worked on them the day before and thought they were fixed). So we went to 2 different places in Escanaba to have someone trouble shoot the tail-lights - 3 hours and another $200 and they found the problem - a wire had rubbed under the trailer and have become bare and was shorting out - On the road again and made it to the other side of Duluth. The only issue starting out was the door handle to the "people compartment" that we have noticed is starting to wear out, fell off when I shut the door to leave. So that was a 15 minute delay taking it apart and then screwing it back on the door! Starting to feel a little colder and listening to the news on the radio heard that we were in for -20 or more - and that's the real temp not with windchill!!!!

Made it to Eddy Streeper's mid afternoon and saw them when they got back to the house from training. Over lunch they invited us to stay for supper and not be traveling while it is so cold (the coldest day of the winter in Minnesota!!!) So here I am in their kitchen on their computer while they are in town for a basketball game for Chloe. It has probably been 5 years since we have seen them and it was great catching up with them on family and dogsledding stuff. Tomorrow we should be off again and across the border at Portal - hoping that the farther west we go the warmer it might get!!! Will report again soon as I have wifi!!!! We are healthy and happy - my knee is even doing better!!!

Oh I forgot to report what a savings the $800 investment in the "cow-cathcher" Randy had made for the front of the truck was.............on the way back from the UP on Monday while I was still sleeping in the cab, a deer ran out in front of the truck and it only slightly bent the fog light!!!!