When Ken asked how I'd like to celebrate my birthday this year, of course I immediately thought of a good hike. We looked to see what trails are around Milford Lake and decided that the Riverwalk Trail along the Republican River would be a good choice. It's about ten miles round trip, and we thought we could visit the Milford Lake Nature Center.
We did get to see some views of the river, but mainly it's a nulti-use trail. We passed or were passed by joggers and cyclists and some parents with small children in strollers. We saw a few signs labeling trees, and several signs warning that we were walking through an area with unexploded ordnance. Wait, did I mention that the trail runs through and along the edge of Fort Riley?
It got hotter as the day went on, so we were very happy to find some water at the Outlet Park where we turned around. We did not find the Milford Nature Center, unfortunately.
After dinner it was time to pack up and move back to the New Horizons factory. We had a problem: the turnaround on Loop A is extremely tight, and there's a tree in the middle. We had a plan to back into one of the last campsites with a wide driveway so that we could pull out and turn around without going around the tree.
The first part of the plan worked fine. We backed into the site and congratulated ourselves on doing such a good job. Then Ken turned the wheel and pulled to the left. Good move, until the edge of the trailer rear camera mount, which extends from the pin box, hit the edge of the pickup box. We jockeyed around a bit, but nothing was working.
The friendly host came by in his golf cart and suggested that the grass was dry enough that we could drive the rig onto it. Ken made a wide looping turn and then backed the rig up so he could pull out. Finally we were on our way out, but we had to stop at the dump station. By the time we got back to the factory, it was on the verge of getting dark, and I was pretty much running out of reserves.
While all this was going on, I was cheered up by getting several nice birthday phone calls, and even some renditions of "Happy Birthday to You!" When we got settled for the night, Ken and I shared some chocolate ice cream before heading for bed.
The bottom line is that we really have to get a lower truck bed, either a hauler body or some modification of our truck box. We're planning on stopping and talking with an outfit in Mount Pleasant, TX, when we head south.
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