Absolutely exhausted. 

I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to finish today. My arms were aching from shoveling and my legs felt like dead weights.  Wet feet, pants and shirt both from mud/moisture in the trench and sweating profusely - this is serious hard work, no machines involved with this.  

I persevered.  The absolute hardest part was, as I knew it would be, getting the sewer pipe at the correct pitch. It means cutting and gluing together pipe, putting it down in the trench and then using a level.  There was an area where I knew I had dug too deep but it was much deeper than I had originally suspected and I was there shoveling dirt to get the pipe at a good pitch for - hours actually. 

3 hours passed, looking at the clock I was shocked.  I was like, wait a minute, I haven't even started on the water pipe!  But I finally got the sewer pipe as far back as I could go - I actually ran out of pipe but it ended where i wanted it to so no worries.  

The water pipe was a rather involved process as well.  Turn off the water to the park, cut the 2 inch main and start installing fittings and a valve.  After that it was a fairly simple process of attaching 20 foot lengths and making turns and such. Finally getting that finished, I had to let it cure for 2 hours according to the directions.  I am not interested in having to do things twice, so 2 hours it was - but only from where I installed the valve right after where I cut the 2 inch main.  The rest of the pipe I just installed but didn't supply water to.  No need to, I just needed to be able to get the water back on to the park. It's actually NOW that two hours has passed since I started past the valve.  

Anyway, Got the water pipe in, used a couple of caps for temporary measure (just cut them off when I'm ready and attach more pipe) and then got started on the wiring. I guess the hardest part about that was just getting the screws out of the pedestal to feed the wire up in there.  After that little ordeal was accomplished, I was able to just unroll the wire all the way to the breaker box. 

I was sweating it on that one.  I actually ordered an extra 10 feet of wire when I made the order to ensure I had enough wire to make it there. Boy am I glad I did! I got next to the shed and began wondering if I was going to be able to make it to the breaker box?  A big sigh of relief when I got the wire up there and looped it around the box.  Just enough to do the job!

After that? Put everything away, get out of those filthy clothes - yes I brought clean clothes with me to the park, I wasn't going to repeat yesterday driving home like that - and then I saw it was 2 hours.  Turned the water back on at the street, turned off 2 spigots I had opened to help let air out and then went back to my new setup.  Opened the spigot there, lots of air came out but water eventually made it's way through and - no leaks : )

I would have been quite flustered if I would have had to rush up to Lowe's get more fittings and start that all over again.  I went to great pains to make sure everything was cleaned, primered and glued plus waiting the minimum length of time before putting it back under pressure.  In fact, I went to great pains on literally everything. The only thing I need to do tomorrow is situate the wiring a bit better, but that should only take a few minutes.  I'm not going to worry about the sewer pipe, it won't be under pressure and it all looks quite good.  

The point is I need to back fill all of it excepting right at the shed on one side and the rear of it.  I can fill in those trenches and get rid of that liability and also have lot 14 ready for my campers tomorrow.  They already paid, it's in the bank, this is what really pushed me to get this thing done - but it isn't the only reason.  I want to get this shed done and over with and I can tell ya, there's at least a good week if not two or more left of work to go in there. 

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No official dinner tonight, no one felt like cooking, I am feeling better but still just not into doing anything for the rest of the day.  I made myself a sandwich and that was that. 

Meanwhile 25 days worth of reservations have been made for the 3 overnight lots cumulatively.  I would need many more than that to make it equal the amount I can get for long term. But I keep getting more reservations as people are planning long trips and find my rates to be more than desirable.  I'm hoping this pans out to much more reservations.  However, the "mix" of long term and short term apparently needs to be enough to not have your RV park become reclassified as a mobile home park.  I don't want that.  I might want a mobile home park someday, somewhere, but not there, not if at all possible anyway.  Mobile home lot rentals don't really make much more than what I am now with one exception: mobile home parks always make the tenants pay for their own electricity. It is added to the monthly bill.  

Lots of RV parks do that too, I just haven't gotten there yet.  

I'm definitely on the lowest side of charging daily and weekly rates, especially considering these 50 amp hookups. Anything that needs 50 amps is using a lot of power and gobbling up profit. I'm thinking of a modest raise in my nightly rate to help offset that.  Probably go $28 per night and keep it in the 20's range and still make it appear as if people are getting a great deal! lol, they actually are, if you look around, you aren't going to find much in the 20's range that has full hookups and 50/30 amp electrical connections.  

I'm feeling my way through this. Yes, I did ample research.  Yes, I know what I 'should' be getting per night, but it isn't panning out because it's new, it doesn't yet have the other amenities and it only has one google review so far.  I dunno why it's so hard to get google reviews.  

Tomorrow is up early and over to the rental place. They have several bobcats for rent there, hopefully there is one available.  I just can't hand-fill those trenches. There is far too much dirt there.  It will take me less than an hour to back fill everything which will give ample time to go dig up some of that river rock and put it where there is only going to be dirt on the pad on site 14. 

And then, if there's time, I'll use the bucket, extend it all the way down and use it as a blade to make the intended Hipcamp area a bit more leveled. And if there is time after that - I will get more river rock from the back and put some down where the huge mess in the driveway is.  Perhaps the driveway should take precedence over the hipcamp setup.

Or perhaps, I really just need to rent that damn thing for 24 hours and get it all done.  I can blade out the side of the driveway better than with that mini ex and then fill in over where all the mud is with river rock if there is enough rock and get it a little better.  I really need truckloads of gravel - just not in the mix right now.  However, I may just have to eat it and say, nope, I need at least one truckload out here.  

I'll have to make my  mind up quickly, I would need that bobcat to push the gravel where it's needed and get it situated nicely.  It would be a "now or never" thing, or really, not now but sometime in the future.

Anyway, we are going to watch a show on tv together and I'm outta here. 

 My guess of around $500 was spot on.  Electric bills. There are two of them since there are 2 main meters.  Still don't much care for that setup, they could have done a 400 amp main meter and then subbed it if necessary, that way I wouldn't have to get 2 bills with 2 service fees. The bills add up to just a few dollars short of $500.

Summertime, I can expect that to double or even triple, unfortunately.  I knew this going into this, however and I will eat whatever I have to eat.  

I think it adds to the argument of leaving 3 short term spaces open.  Those more than pay for themselves in electric usage and I am starting to lean towards leaving back-in lot 11 open or even asking one of the ones on one of the pull throughs to move their trailer.  However, the power company worker isn't going to be there forever, when he leaves his pull-through will be opened up.  So maybe I should find a tenant for lot 11 and then after a pull through opens up, I will leave that open for travelers.  1 back in space at lot 14 and 2 pull throughs at lots 4 and 5.  AS of the moment, all 3 spaces are generating enough in the next 30 days to pay for one and a half long term rental spaces.  I'll need more bookings to cover the rest, obviously.  I'm pretty frim at this point, however, in raising the monthly rate. I've got people in there, I'm making some money, that was the point.  None of those people save the older couple are "permanent". Even the older couple may leave at some point, who knows?  

Ok, well I got up a few minutes ago and noted the room was pretty dark.  It's daytime, it should be much brighter in here. Opening the blinds and looking out? Very dark skies.  Yet, on the radar, it shows no rain anywhere near us.  I hope so, I have plenty to do today.  I'll have about 6 solid hours for working - and probably getting parts if necessary - before I'll have to quit and go get the boys.  It's Thursday and that's just the way it works.  I don't mind it and it will just motivate me to get the work done.  I have determined after more thinking about it where I want to end the sewer pipe for now - which is basically all the way to the main driveway side of the shed.  I want most of the open trenches covered up and I don't want to rent a machine only to leave a lot of hand back-filling to do.  Makes no sense and I have the time to get it done.  

I just know I have some manual back-filling to do today and that's not really going to be fun.  I should have put some dirt back in there when I was on the mini-ex.  It just didn't look like it was that much to backfill for laying the sewer pipe, didn't really think it would be as bad as it is. I say "bad" as in a lot of energy and a lot of heavy breathing.  The soil is heavy with water/moisture and it's quite a bit of work.  

Anyway, however long it takes, I'll finish the sewer pipe as far as I need to go and then I'll run the water pipe. That will mean turning off the water and oh well.  I notified the older couple last night.  They didn't care, they want the laundry as much as everyone else.  I'm definitely running 2 of each outlet for 2 dryers and 2 washers in case the usage gets to be too much and I find the setup needing more machines.  Right now? No thanks.  I've got enough payments and bills.  

Well, while I'm contemplating all of these things, my morning coffee is luxurious.  It's a nice start to a day that I know is going to be filled with working in a wet trench with lots of mud.  I would just let it dry out and wait, but you know, that pesky deadline. Those people are coming tomorrow afternoon, the lot has to be ready. And Lord willing, it will be!  It may not look so nice with fresh dirt and I am going to have to bring some of that river rock from the back to fill in where there will be a dirt line a foot and a half wide going through the pad itself. But it will be ready.  

Oh. And I was thinking about "too much pitch" for downward travel on the sewer line.  I know there is an issue if you don't have enough pitch, but what about too much? Well, the first site I read says you shouldn't have too much pitch because solids and water can separate leaving the solid sitting inside the pipe and the water long gone.

But then I got onto a plumber's forum and a large number of them said that is an old wive's tale, that is something from the past. Newer pipe is much more slippery - and I've seen old pipe compared to new and that is correct - and it is no longer an issue. I say this because there is a good 20-30 feet where the pitch is probably "more" than it "should" be.  My fears alleviated, I can go about my business lol.  

Well, get a second cup of coffee and head over there.  I have another month, I'm guessing, maybe 2, before I either see some miraculous amount of overnighters coming through saving my butt or I have to go back to driving.  I have been putting it off, obviously and for good reason: I hate trucking.  I dunno if the Hipcamp spots will take off or not? Just no idea. If they don't, I'll advertise them as boondocking sites and charge $15 per night.  That's for regular RV's.  If that doesn't work, I'll turn it into a long term storage place for boats, rv's and what have you. If that doesn't work, then I spend money for nothing lol.  However, I now understand it can take time to get on the map as an RV park, it will likely take time to get on the map as a Hipcamp preferred site for campers.  

I'm still waiting on the appraisal dude to get out there and take a look.  I'm not sure if he's qualified to give an appraisal that a bank will accept, but his site says he's a state certified appraisal expert. He appears to be more in the business of selling homes and property more than anything. 

Oh well, I need to get out of here.

G'day.