My cash cow is dry.....

Going into a Camping World store seems to have almost the same outcome, for me, as going into Sam's Club. You can never seem to get out the door without spending a bunch of money. Yesterday we drove to Colfax to get a new ladder for the rig. When we first hit the road, in 2007, we had purchased one of those Little Giant knock-offs that you can buy at Sam's Club for about $100. You push the knobs on each side of the ladder, pull it apart, then it articulates upward until another set of knobs pop into the holes at the desired height and it's ready to use. It was heavy as the dickens to carry around the rig. Very sturdy to use but a work-out just to get it set up and tore down. We had carried it around on the back of the truck so not sure if rust had made the knobs seize up or what but I had my last wrestling match with it a couple weeks ago. It just wouldn't go back into its original form so it found its way out next to the garbage can, here at the campground. The ladder we bought yesterday folds up into about 4" square.
I love it !! Did some stuff on the rig today and it's now stowed away in the basement, ready for its next assignment. We also went and bought a matching battery for the one we got last weekend. Our friend, Tom, e-mailed us after the last post and reminded us that it's best to replace both at the same time as the older one will draw down on the new one, compromising it. So off we went yesterday to get a matching battery. Thanks, Tom....you are our RV maintenance adviser and we love it.
Last weekend we stopped by the local tire shop (they have a shop for automotive installations and another shop next door to take care of large trucks/RV's). Marvin is getting us prices on new tires for the rig. We will need them before we go back to full-timing. He's pricing out Goodyear's like we currently have on the rig and also beefier Michelin's that would require different rims. The new Excels come with the Michelin tires, which are holding up better than the Goodyears. Not sure which way we'll go...will depend on the price but safety and longevity are also considerations.