Overnight at Hansen’s

2019 West Again, Iowa, Road Trip, States

Hansen’s is a Harvest Hosts site, so as members of the organization they granted us the privilege of staying on site parked next to the pond overnight. We weren’t the only ones. Two other RV’s rolled in just before yesterday’s tour. Afterwards we all rearranged to line ourselves up with a view of the pond and were socializing when we realized that a hailstorm was heading our way. We quickly installed our hail pads hoping to protect some of the most vulnerable parts of our T@B roof. With that we accepted Dave & Debbie’s invitation and enjoyed decaf and conversation while waiting out the storm. When we emerged, we delighted in a gorgeous Iowa sunset as well as knowing Sc@rlett has acquired no new hailstorm dimples. This morning we lingered. Our neighbors came by for a visit, then we all did some shopping at Hansen’s store. Since we have but a short drive today we just took our time leaving this pastoral place.

Our homegrown hail protection system is consists of two blue exercise mats and two yellow tow straps that we purchased at Walmart. We attach the tow straps to the rear stabilizers, flip them up on top of the T@B, attach them to the front stabilizers, slide the mats in so that they are anchored by the tow straps on each edge then tighten the straps. It’s not full coverage but protects some of the most vulnerable and visible parts of the aluminum roof of the T@B. (To see links to the exact Walmart merchandise we used, click on the highlighted text.)

Categories

Archives

4 Comments

  1. Jean

    Stunning photos!

    Reply
    • Steve & Karen

      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Craig

    would you share what your hail pads are exactly?

    Reply
    • Steve & Karen

      Craig, we updated the post to describe the simple process we use to render a degree of hail protection using some exercise mats and tow straps we picked up at Walmart. Thanks for asking.

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

OUR VERY

LATEST

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Over a long weekend we sampled some of the myriad things to do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, unique among national parks for it’s environmental reclamation, historic preservation, and recreational opportunities adjacent to the populous cities of Cleveland and Akron in northeastern Ohio. Can’t wait to return and explore more.

Slow Journey Home

Slow Journey Home

Our journey from Portsmouth, England to our home in Ohio might have been accomplished in about sixteen hours but my avoiding air travel we were able to enjoy a fifteen day journey home via train, ship, Uber, train, as well as our own feet and finally our personal vehicle.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

It’s been a fascinating two day visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. We managed to pack in tours of the HMS Warrior, the HMS Victory as well ast Victory Live: The
Big Repair, and finally the Mary Rose. All were incredibly informative and well presented.