Duncan RV and Service

After the MS, Maintenance Session, it was a short 17 mile drive to Duncan. We got checked in and the next morning they came to get the coach. They went over what they planned to do and discus the order of work. They started by removing the fiberglass in the rear which I had damaged by backing into a 4x4 post at Alliance without a spotter. That is a story to have over a beer. The doors that I damaged the second day driving the coach are to be reskined but they didn't want to remove them since there were heavy rain and wind forecast for the weekend. They did however remove the J couch in preparation for extending the platform on the slide.

Couch ready to be removed

Lower rear cap damage

How the coach looks with the lower rear cap removed

Let it all hang out

On Monday they took the coach in and removed the cargo doors to take them to the shop that was to reskin them. They also worked on the slide extension.

Now we wait. Time for more Patience pills. We did purchase carpet from a local shop, a Lambright Comfort Lounger from Brad and Hall, and a visit to Focal Wood to discuss our cabinet needs.

While we were taking our Patience Pills we visited the Studebaker Museum, New York Central Railroad Museum, took a tour of the Newmar factory found some good restaurants and dinners and visited with others that were also taking Patience Pills. I managed to finish one book and read two more and Suzette did some knitting as well as 4 jigsaw puzzles.



We also found a disk golf course at a local county park so for my birthday we played 18 holes.


After the work was done, after two and half weeks, we took the coach to Selking International to have an ECM update done. Then it was on the road to our next adventure.

Maintenance Session HRRVC Chapter 419

We arrived at the MS, Maintenance Session, and our first order of business was to have the coach weighted. It is good to know the weights on each wheel so you can set the proper tire pressure and also balance the load if/when that is needed.

As we were guided to our parking space we recognized a 2004 Endeavor from New York. Yes it was our friend Barb W. from SNF. I had recruited her to join HRRVC and the 419 chapter. It was good to see a familiar face. The week was filled with seminars and food along with getting needed service. We had the generator and aqua hot serviced as well as the coach washed and waxed.  Vinny from Duncan RV Service also made a visit to review the damage that we were having them repair so they could turn in the estimate to the insurance company.

Suzette took seminars on using the convection/microwave oven and bought several silicon cooking utensils. She also  took a class in locker hooking. My main purchase was a water softener which we would need as we travel to areas with hard water. We are really loving the soft water we now have.

Blacktop boondocking and Pickleball

We wanted our next stop to be near Fort Wright KY where Joan and Ed who we know from SNF live. We were having trouble finding a nearby campground and finally found out, with Joan's help, that we could boondock in the parking lot of the local Field and Stream store. When we arrived Joan and Ed were there to great us. Once we got setup and locked up we were off on a tour of their side of the river and then off to their house for dinner and visit.

The next day we spent the morning playing pickleball with a group of 12 until about noon. We said our goodbyes and hit the road for Celina OH and the Mercer County Fair grounds where we stayed the previous August.

Field and Stream parking lot

Ed, Joan, Larry

On a sad note Ed was killed and Joan was injured in a motorcycle accident about 2 weeks after this picture was taken. RIP Ed.

Social media

It is amazing what can happen when you travel and use social media. Suzette had been posting as we traveled north keeping our FB friends updated on our location and what we were seeing along the way. As we were sitting in Gondolier Pizza and Steak house in Sweetwater TN we received FB message that friends were just up the road getting fuel. They had planned on BBQ which was nearby but since we had already ordered they decided to stop an visit with us and have their dinner. They had hopped to make KY before stopping for the night but changed their plans. Again another nice visit with folks, June and Doug Taylor, we will not see for a couple of years or more.

After dinner and our good bye's we took a little tour of town with a stop at the Local Wal Mart. Just can't live without Wal Mart.

Patiance patiance ...

When you have a home that is on wheels you need a little patience, well a lot of patience.

We left our winter home at Sun-N-Fun April 12 and had an appointment at Alliance Coach in Wildwood FL. for annual service and a couple of warranty items. We were in the shop on the 13th for a few hours and they addressed some of the issues and determined that one of the hydraulic leveling jacks needed to be replaced. So that gets ordered on Tuesday I think.
No it didn't get ordered as soon as we would have liked since they had to wait for Monaco/ARG to approve the warranty work.

While we waited we had time to visit with friends in the Villages and those near there. We visited with Toby and Jayne Cargin who I had worked for back in the late '60's. It was a short visit since they were packing to get on the road back to Upstate NY. We also visited with Phil and Jan Cervi who we know from our days at IBM Endicott. Excellent visit. We also visited with our friends from Good Sam who live in Lecanto FL. We met them and another couple at an Italian restaurant in Inverness.
Another great visit. The southern branch of the Hamel family was also on our visit list and again it was with food. It will likely be 3 years before we see any of these folks again since our travel plans will have west of the Mississippi for the next couple of years.

Well the jack finally arrived and was installed. During the wait the fuel filters were also changed and a water leak on the roof was located and fixed.
Meanwhile Rod and Linda arrived and we had a good visit with them while they were getting repairs completed. We took a road trip to Hommassa FL for lunch at the Locker. 1.5 lbs of shrimp plus chips and beer. Quite a lunch.

Rod and Linda were able to get on the road before us since the jack took longer to arrive than was planned.  We were on the road a few days later and headed to the Holiday Rambler Chapter 419 Maintenance Session in Elkhart IN.