Cambridge OH -1

We went to a carwash to clean the Jeep. It was covered in red/pink antifreeze. More on that in a future post. After the Jeep was clean we went to Mosser Glass. We had a nice but to short tour of their factory and did purchase a few items. How much does one need in an RV?

The tour was short because you just couldn't get to everything. They are moving HOT glass doing their jobs and you just can't get in their way.

Some where along the way we saw a sign for Hopalong Cassidy Museum. It didn't look like much from the outside but it was open and we had time. Wow what a place. It is housed in an old hospital and filled with antiques and Hoppy memorabilia. A fascinating place. When you are in the area you really need to give this place some time.

We decided to take a ride on the National Road, US40, stopping at two S bridges and returning via I70 to the campground.

We decided to have dinner at Grand Chinese Buffet. It wasn't, We took a walk in WalMart before returning to the coach.

Ketchup

Well not that kind. I need to get this blog in better shape. So I'll put several days in this post.

09/05 Another down day, well we stayed in the park and did laundry and I put together a shelf for shoes in the closet. We did go the local IGA for a few things for supper. Using the wire shelves I removed from the closet I tackled arranging the under sink area to hold our pots and pans etc. I also removed the waste basket holder that is under the cook top so we could better utilize that space. I will do more work on that area when we get to SNF.

09/06 Paul and Sharron joined us for a trip to Sidney for their apple fest. Good food, music, car show, and tractor pull. Awesome pullers, yung'ns on a peddle tractor with a pulling sled. The kids, and us older kids, had a good time.

09/07 Cooked pancakes and bacon for breakfast then off to WalMart to stock up on a few items. I cleaned more of the coach. Paul and Sharron joined us and we visited before going to Bob Evans for BOGO supper. We played rummicube when we returned.

09/08 Today was to be an easy travel day to Cambridge OH. It wasn't. Ill make a separate post on our travel troubles so stay tuned. We pulled in the campground about 11PM. Life on the road.

 

RVillage - Just spreading the word

I joined a new website called RVillage, and I thought you'd be interested too! RVillage is a social networking site built by RVers for RVers. It allows you to find interesting people to meet right in your RV Park and the surrounding area, find all your friends on a map, plan or attend events - and it's free to sign up!

You can plan routes, find RVers, parks and vendors along the way, and share your stories and photos, all in one place. There's even a "Groups" section that includes hundreds of organizations and special interests- whether its crafting or kayaking, Coachmans or Casitas, there's a group for it. Each group has it's own map of members, so you can see where everyone is located around the country. It's really easy to find people with similar interests, and you can meet them "online" or "in person."

If you've ever wanted to connect with neighbors in RV parks as you travel, or you're looking for a few folks to have a BBQ with, or maybe you want to know if another kayaker is staying at an RV park down the road- Here's your answer. It sure beats leaving connections up to chance while walking the dog, or the random stranger coming up asking “what type of engine is in that thing?” while you're busy dumping the tanks!

RVillage has been really well received in the RV industry world. Escapees and Workamper News have both wholeheartedly endorsed the site along with many prominent bloggers. It's already gained over 10,000 members in just 5 months.

I know there's a million websites, networks and clubs out there, but I've never seen anything like RVillage. I hope you decide to join me at rvillage.com! 

We are hrcamper on the village.

Tour Du Jour

We went to Greenville OH and visited the Kitchenaid Experience. This is a really neat store with a museum of products in the lower level. Great place to shop and it is the only official Kitchenaid store in the world. We found that the factory tour was at 12:30 so our next task was food. There are lots of neat places on Broadway but we choose the Double M around the corner on 5th. We would consider this a go to place when you are in Greenville. 

 Next it was off to the KitchenAid factory tour. This was a great tour and we had an excellent tour host. Well worth the hour or so. There was a lot of robotics as well as hand work. It makes you appreciate KitchenAid even more.
 
Then it was off to Bear's Mill for a self guided tour. It was not in operation today and the tour was very interesting. This is a turbine driven mill. Check it out.
 
And since this is Annie Oakley territory we had to visit Garst Museum to see here area as well as Lowel Thomas and a lot of memorabilia.

Miami and Erie Canal

Today we went looking for a "doings" in Piqua Ohio that we had a flyer for. There were to be some festivities about the Miami-Erie Canal We didn't find any event between Piqua and St Mary's OH. We did manage to find a few sites and all in all had an enjoyable day with friends.
Once we returned home, well our rig is our home, Suzette looked up the event on the net and found that it was held in 2012. So much for the flyers you pick up at welcome centers and Chambers of Commerce.

Kind of a down day

We had a lazy morning but finally got around to doing a few things. Suzette did laundry while I did a few minor tasks and dumped the tanks. We then started planing for our next journey. From here we go to Spring Valley Campground in Cambridge OH. While there we will make day trips to the National Road and Zane Grey museum,Cambridge Glass Museum, Toy and Train Museum in Wheeling WV.

From Spring Valley we make a drive to Shenandoah Valley Campground in Mt Jackson VA This will only be an overnight stop. We then continue to Douthat State Park  in Virginia for our free week of camping we earned by camp hosting in 2013. Then it is off the the HRRVC International Rally in Lewisburg WV.

Why are we in Celina Ohio?

We didn't have any plans following our time at Decatur getting warranty work done. I must say that all in all Allied Recreation Group has treated us well. They have honored all issues we have had under warranty even though they did not build this coach. Yes we have had some inconvenience but it has worked out.

While we were headed to  Decatur Paul and Sharron  were headed to Elkhart to get their windshield replaced. They passed thru Decatur on their way to Elkhart and we discussed plans to get together. On their way back from Elkhart they stopped by again and said they were going to Mercer County Fairgrounds and would stay in the area for several days. We had a down day waiting for parts so we went to meet them and do a little kayaking on Grand Lake. While at the Fairgrounds we made arrangements to stay there when we were finished in Decatur.

So here we are in Celina OH seeing the various sites in this area. It is rich with history and we have been planning many day trips.

Ready to leave Decatur

Finally we are ready to leave the wonderful overnight parking for the ARG service center. Most of the items have been completed. Why leave with some items not completed you ask. Well this is a regular Cluster F... Their ability to order a correct part for a Monaco/HR is a joke. On my list I told them that the Suction hose for the sanicon has a pin hole. I showed them the white rigging tape I used to stem the flow. So they ordered the discharge hose. They ordered the incorrect low coolant sensor. I'm not sure what the work ethic is.

They say "Its always been done this way in the RV industry"

Very disappointing.

Punch List

Warranty claim for the following;

1. Several floor tiles are coming loose
   Repaired
2. HDMI cable from entertainment cabinet to Living Room TV defective
   Repaired
3. HR emblem on front has pealing paint. Noted at purchase.
   Repaired 
4. Light fixture in toilet room not mounted correctly, hangs down
   Repaired 
5. Rope light under left cabinet does not work.
   Repaired 
6. Paint on front curb slide has abrasion marks from slide installation.
   Repaired 
7. Drivers side rear cap has similar marks near air intake.
   Repaired 
8. Cooktop not set flush with counter top.
   Repaired 
9. Entry door does not seal properly
   
   
10. Bathroom window is starting to fog
    The window will be replaced next year, 2015, at Decatur facility
11. Sanicon suction hose has pin hole leak
    
    
12. Ribbed weather stripping on rear of each main slide is coming off
    Repaired 
13. Patio awning "rope" that holds awning in roller is coming out
    Repaired 
14. Zone 4 will not shut off once heat is called for. I can only get it to go off by turning off house 12V 
    
    
15. Left drive axle needs new gasket
    Repaired 
16. Low Coolant level warning did not come on with loss of coolant
    Repaired 
17. Generator slide very difficult to open/move
    Repaired 
18. Odometer was not reset when Medallion gauge was replaced. Set to 9307
    Not done because of cost and turn around time.

We're still here

We have been at the service facility for a week today. They have taken care of most of the items on the punch list and the remaining items require parts that they don't stock here.

This was a Fleetwood facility but when Allied Specialty Vehicles, ASV, took over the Monaco brands from Navistar they consolidated manufacturing and service here. However there is a big service center in Coburg OR. Manufacturing is consolidated under Allied Recreation Group, ARG. All their products, Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco and Holiday Rambler on made on the same line by the same workers. So I think they will all be at the same quality, or lack of quality, level. I see nothing to spark brand loyalty.

Enough of a rant.

We have almost eaten at all of the restaurants in the area, so good some not so. I think our favorite is Norms Preble Garden and Richards. Good food and good prices. Pizza King is more of a joker. We still have a few to try.

When we arrived at the service facility Paul and Sharon Surhoff were here to meet us . They were on their way to Elkhart IN to have a windshield replaced and since this facility was on their way they made a stop to see us. Paul and Sharon are also Full Time RV'ers and we hadn't seen them in a little over two years. It was nice that they stopped by. We hope to see them in a few days in Celina OH.

I was going to put the punch list here but I think I will make another topic just for that.

Following is some information I posted in a Holiday Rambler forum;

Allow me to give a little update on the NEW factory service in Decatur.Pack patience.

I will  answer the OP's questions below but a few general comments.

The parking area is just that a gravel parking area with electric only spots. When you arrive during the week find a place to park but don't set up until you check in at the office, The second building from the parking area with the red awning over the door. The parking area will appear to have a lot of empty spots but many are taken and the coaches are in the shop. So check in to get an assigned spot.
The dump station is beyond the building where you check in. You can get water there also.

When they say they will get your coach at 0600 they mean 0600. Have it ready to move, they will disconnect power if needed.

Now look below for my answers to the OP's questions, I know the OP may not care since their post is almost a year old. My comments are between >> <<

HTH

Larry K
'13 Endeavor 43PKQ

---In ramblin_pushers@yahoogroups.com, wrote :

My husband will be taking our '06 Ambassador 38DPQ back to the factory
for some repair work on the curbside living room slide. There is a
problem with the rollers and damage they caused to the underside of
the slide. Our local dealer can not do the repairs and rather than
have it sit in some shop waiting for parts, we decided to make the
500+mile trip to Indiana to get it done right. In addition, he has a
laundry list of less serious items that should be addressed.

All in all, he's expecting to be at the factory for about a week. We
have several questions of people who may have done this recently.
1. Hookups. He's been told they have 50 AMP service to plug into at
the repair facitity. What about water?
 >> No water at "sites:<<
2. Lodging. He's been told by factory rep that he can probably stay
in coach overnight and they'll work on it during the day. Lodging only
if can't stay in coach.
 >> True they pick up the coach at 0600 and usually return it about 1430 BUT they may work overtime an not return your coach until much later. Check with your tech after their lunch or noon break<<
3. Food - I can fill the frig and freezer for his meals but don't
want the stuff to spoil during the day when it is "in the shop". Will
they plug in while in the shop?

>> Your coach will be plugged in while in the shop. However if they are working on the electrical I'm sure it will be unplugged and the inverter off<<

4. Idle time - there are only so many times you can take the factory
tour! Do they have a lounge, TV, reading material (other than HR
brochures).

>> factory tours are at 0900 daily arrive at 0845 and it is best to make a reservation. There are two waiting rooms at the repair facility. The nice one does not allow pets, the ugly one in the paint shop allows pets. There are some reading material available. The pet friendly "lounge" has a noisy window AC and TV and is not really very human friendly. <<

5. How realistic are the factory rep's estimate of time? They've
been supplied the list and pictures and estimate anywhere from 2 days
to 1 week.
 >> As I post this we are starting our second week. It seems that most HR/Monaco parts come from Coburg. Seems like Bounder parts are more plentiful. Maybe that says something. <<

Thanks for any information. It's been a real learning experience with
this coach and some disappointments. I certainly hope this visit will
clear up the problems.

Rayanne in PA

Short drive but early get up

We spent the nite in the Selking International lot and were up at 0500 so I could be at the service office at 0600 to get signed up for service. After about a 3 hour wait the Tech, Tracy, came to look at our coach. After adding about 4 gallons of Rotella ELC he found the loose hose clamp. Tightened and added more coolant and we let the engine run to insure there was no other leak.
The axle that was removed for towing was reinstalled and we took the coach to the service area to wash off the coolant from the rear of the coach.

Once washed off I went in to pay, sure thought there would be some charge. I was wrong since it was covered under warranty. We hooked up and headed for Decatur and the HR/Monaco and those Fleetwood brands service center. While we were driving we received a call from the Surhoff's saying they would meet us at the service facility since they were on their way to Elkhart for a windshield replacement.
We had an all to short visit since this is the first time we have seen them in 2 years.

After they left I got signed in and then found that we were in someones spot. We moved and reset up and the service writer and tech came to review the punch list. They will take the coach at 0600 on Tuesday.

We don't know how long we will be here. 

Started as a great day

We went for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then off to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum and National Automobile and Truck Museum. What great museums. Just think back in the 30's they had super chargers, power assisted brakes, front wheel drive w/vacuum shift and even uni-body construction, we even saw a Cord with turn signals. Impressive you gear haads need to put that on your list.

We headed out to Decatur so we would be ready for our 0600 service appointment on Monday. Didn't make it. Lost all coolant in the coach. Good Sam got a towing company to get us to Selking International and we will see them at 0600 and see if they can work on this thing
.

Life on the road

Off to Auburn IN

Today we had a very nice breakfast with Jim Sowle his wife Ann and Jim's brother Steve followed by a long visit. Then it was time to get on the road. Tonight we are at Fireside Resort and plan to visit the Auburn Cord Duesenberg museum tomorrow.

Skipping ahead some

Ok, this will put things out of sequence somewhat but when I want to take the time I will fill in our trip thru the U.P., Alpena, and Traverse City and Empire MI.

As we were leaving the UP to visit troll land, under the bridge, the dash gauges went out. It was an intermittent outage but very annoying. It seemed to be a poor ground or power connection. I put in a call to Monaco/HR support and we continued on our way to Thunder Bay RV and Golf resort.  Monaco/HT tech returned my call and after some troubleshootig and email exchanges I was told to take the coach to Just Trucks in Traverse City to have the problem looked into. So we changed our reservations and found that the Northwest Michigan Fair Association had camping at the fair grounds for $20/night. We booked a week, all we could since the fair was starting the following week. We made an appointment with Just Trucks.

 When we were at Thunder Bay RV Golf resort we started to have problems with the transfer switch. Oh good. But the problem went away for the rest of our stay there. At our appointment at Just Trucks we were told that the part we needed, a Medallion gauge controller, would be two weeks out. Once we arrived at the fair grounds following our appointment at Just Trucks we had another event with the transfer switch. Again it went away. We had initially made arrangements to camp at Sleeping Bear National Lake-shore but upon looking at our options for a site and not having any sewer connection we decided to look elsewhere to stay. I hate to call this camping.

We found Indigo Bluffs Resort.
 Now this is not our usual mode of "camping" but since we had a number of low priced places we decided we would take a week at Indigo. Wow that is living. Our first day the transfer switch problem returned. To make a long story short the transfer switch was bad and needed to be replaced. I did some rewiring at the direction of Monaco/HR and Surge Guard so we could use shore power and had the warranty replacement sent to Just Trucks.

We returned to Traverse City, Grawn MI actually, and found that the Medallion part would not arrive for several more days. We camped at Just Trucks for a few days waiting for the parts to arrive. Finally at the 3 week mark of our first visit to Just Trucks the parts arrived and were installed. That evening we returned to the Fair campground and stayed the night and did our laundry.

The next day we headed to Lowell MI to visit our friends from Sun-N-Fun and camp in their driveway for a few days. We have had a good visit and saw a few of the sites in the area. Tomorrow we head to Auburn IN and hope to visit the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum before going to Decatur for some more warranty work on the coach.

Onward to Whitefish Point

Big Fitz went down near there.

We traveled to Newberry MI and stayed at North Country Campground. From here we planed to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, Tahquamenon Falls, and Crisp Point Lighthouse.

After we got set up at the cg we found that there was a newmar Fulltimers chapter rally also at the campground. We did meet a few of them but didn't see much of them as we had our own agenda.

Our first outing was to the falls. We had to pay $9 to get in the state park or we could have paid $30 for an annual pass. We opted for the $9 since we didn't think we would get to more than 3 parks on this trip. I did take the stairs to the bottom of the gorge so I could take some pictures. Something like 160 steps down and 320 back. Pictures are here and I will let them speak to what we saw.

Next was off to Whitefish Point. This is a well done museum but it was very busy the day we were there. Just to crowded in the actual museum that had the artifacts of various wrecks. They really need bigger space.

The tour of the grounds was very interesting with the usual life saving station displays. You had to pay extra to tour the lighthouse but I did that. They only allowed about 8 at a time to do the climb. I don't remember the number of steps and the view wasn't that good because it was very overcast. Check out our pictures.

Next up was Crisp Point. What a drive, see the driving directions. This was really fun in the Jeep. Man you are in the woods, no cell service, not much in the way of other traffic although we did meet a couple of vehicles, on a turn of course. If you get there and want a really neat experience take the drive. Some Pictures.

A little on Marquette MI and Pictured Rocks

When is Larry going to update your blog?
We left the Superior/Duluth area and made our way to Gwinn MI which is about 30 minutes south of Marquette. We choose Gwinn as our base because the county/city Tourist Park was full hookup 50A for $20/night. But it was a Passport America also so we only paid $10/night and there were no restrictions on the number of days the discount was good for.

While there we visited Pictured Rocks and took a boat tour on July 4th and made our way through the local celebration.  Then drove to Munising Falls area and took the walk to the falls.

After returning to the coach to feed and walk Logan we went to Marquette to visit with Brian and Brenda who also winter at Sun-N-Fun and we met playing pickleball. We had a very nice visit and dinner before going to the Marina to watch fireworks from their boat. We didn't go out but had a nice time sitting on the dock and taking in the activities at the local park.

You may or may not know that Marquette is on the western edge of the eastern time zone SOOOO it isn't dark until about 10:30, well after the east coast fire works are over.

We went to several museums and tourist attractions as well as KI Sawyer AFB which is now deactivated. It was a SAC base back in the day.

One of the more interesting places was Da Yoopers Tourist Trap, better than Wall. Look at the pictures in the proceeding link.

Of Rally's, Badlands, Corn Palace, Spam and Bulk Freighters

After getting our Jeep back we drove about 5 miles to the Central State Fairgrounds for the South Dakota Samboree. We arrived for early parking and were given a 50A space but no water. We had filled the tank, 100 gal, before we left Wyatts Hideaway Campground since the water there was quite good.
The Samboree only had about 50 rigs but was well run and had a lot of fun games and free food one night and a $10 catered meal another night and a free pancake and sausage breakfast. We didn't do very well in the games, a couple of 3rd place finishes but they only awarded 1st and 2nd..

On Sunday when the rally ended we drove to the Badlands and stayed at Badlands Interior Campground and Motel. The motel and campground are under new ownership and they are trying to get it in shape. They are very nice and helpful. The campground had a strange layout. Some sites  are full hook-up some not so much. Sites may share water or have the hookup  on the curb side and sewer on the road side of the RV.

We had a good 5 days there and drove most of the roads in the park as well as a tour of the Pine Ridge Reservation. It was a lonely ride through the reservation and we didn't see much but didn't stray far from the main roads. Even the visitors center was closed.As we left the reservation we stopped at the Badlands NP South Unit visitors center. They had some nice displays and information on the use of that section, south unit, as an Air Force, Army Air Corps,  bombing and target range during WWII. It seems that many of the large fossils as bomb targets. A real loss of history.

We did find it quite interesting that the landscape of the Badlands seems to change with changes in direction, changes in light, it is just so fascinating. There are lots of pictures here.

While at the Badlands we toured the D1 Minuteman missile launch facility. The guide was a former commander of that facility. The other surprising thing was that he was stationed at Clinton Sherman AFB and helped close the base. That base was where I was stationed back in the day.

From there it was off to Mitchell SD and the Corn Palace. Yep we went inside and saw the presentation on the history of the placed. They are doing a lot of work so most of the outside murals were down. It will be the Next Gernetration Corn Palace when they are done.
Then on to Austin MN to visit the SPAM Museum.  We camped at Crystal Springs RV Resort.

Next stop was Duluth area where we visited the Canal Park and took a tour of the Museum and watched an ore freighter exit the harbor. There is a lift bridge at the harbor entrance and that was interesting to watch raise and lower. There is a light on each side of the harbor breakwaters but we only visited one. You could not go up the tower on either since they are active lights.
We took a drive up the North Shore and visited the Two Harbors light and watched the freighter that we saw exit Duluth harbor dock at one of the ore docks in Two Harbors. From there we continued up the coast to Split Rock and took the guided tour to that lighthouse and the self guided tour of the buildings. Of course we climbed the stairs to the light. We also climbed part way down the to the shore so we could get a view of the lighthouse and cliff.

See the North Shore Pictures here.

Weather

Yes we have had some. Lots of rain and wind and hail. So far we have been lucky and not had serious stuff. The other evening we did have a lot of lightning and pea sized hail with a few that were the size of moth balls.

Haven't had the awning out very often because of the wind and on the bedroom topper I had to rig a hold down to keep the flapping in check so we could sleep.

The flooding has been closer to Sioux Falls with both I90 and I35 being closed.

Lets hope the weather improves by the time we head east in a week or two.

Why is our Jeep on a wrecker?

On Monday 6/16 we decided to take a trip to the Black Hills Petrified Forest about 20 miles away and return via Vanocker Canyon Road. The trip to the forest was very interesting and the video that discussed the geology of the Black Hills was very well done. This attraction is $6 for us seniors. The rock shop at the end of the tour has, wait for it, rocks. Many polished but some raw and some petrified wood specimens.

After our walk thru the forest we headed out to find Vanocker Canyon Road. This is a great motorcycle road, one of many in the area.  As we were well up the road there was this beeping noise. I looked at the lcd display where many of the warnings show up and didn't see anything so we kept going. Some where along the way a couple of minutes later I looked and saw that the engine temp was max'd out. Found a pull of that was near a stream. So we stopped and let things cool down a little and refilled the radiator tank with the stream water. Headed back down and the temp was higher than normal but holding. Got on I90 and headed to Rapid City. High temp alarm again. Stopped at the rest area and called Good Sam ERS.

The Jeep was taken to the local dealer and on Tuesday the called and told me the radiator had a hole and needed to be replaced. They did not have a Jeep radiator but NAPA had one for about $60 less. Go for it. Later that day we picked up the Jeep for $846.09. Just what we needed after buying 4 new tires the week before.

 This winter wood pile will last for years.

It's petrified

Saturday 6/14

Flag day. Since the wind blows so much here and often quite hard we decided to hang our flag inside  the coach from the room darkening shade in the front window.

Late get up day and late breakfast. After noon we decided to go to the Central State Fair Grounds for the Black Hills BBQ Festival. Maybe it was the weather maybe it was our expectations but it wasn't that much. BBQ was good but not excellent.

Returned to the coach and just hung out for the remainder of the day. Temperature dropped at least 5 degrees after we returned.

Friday 6/13

Hung around during the morning and picked up mail again. Then after lunch we went to the Journey Museum. Quite interesting as it takes you on a journey of the area from the beginning of the universe to modern times. We received the senior rate plus we were able to use the $1 off coupons.

Thursday 6/12

Back to Tri-State to get the correct tires installed. Done and I checked all 4 to make sure they were correct.

We were in need of hair cuts so we found a Great Clips and had our trim after we had lunch at a 50's diner called Arnold's Classic Diner. Not bad and it looks like a '50 place that I had been in in my youth.

We had gone by a place called Runnings and decided to stop in and see what it was all about. It's about farm and ranch and huge. We bought a new bed for Logan and he seems to like his new bed.

Then since we still had time to kill we went to Cabelas and checked out the rv parking area. We had been told that Cabelas had dump stations and they do. So we went inside and found something to buy. We did take a good tour of the store. Neat.

In the evening as I was walking Logan I was stopped by another Holiday Rambler owner. Turned out he recognized the hat I was wearing which identified me as a member of HRRVC Chapter 419.

After dinner we visited with them and the Monaco owners a couple of sites down. Nice evening.

Wednesday 6/11

We had made an appointment with Try-State Tire and Auto to get new tires for the Jeep. We thought that paying 3% sales tax her was better that 6% when we returned to Florida where we would need them for sure. They were just short of the wear bars.

Long story but they sold us Nokia and we discovered when we returned to the coach that they had put put on Summitt. Called them and had an appointment to get the Nokia installed on Thursday.

Fixed veal for supper. I just love cooking on the induction cook-top.

Tuesday 6/10 Badlands day

We decided that the weather today was the best for us to check out the Badlands and see if we could fit the coach in the NP campground and if not what campground we would stay at.

We got off I90 at Wall and took a drive downtown. Just passed by Wall Drug, didn't go in, and stopped at the Grasslands Visitors Center and spent about an hour or so. We will take time to visit Wall Drug when we return in a couple of weeks. You can view the pictures I took here.

In the big town of Interior, pop. 67, we found a Good Sam park which is just outside the park and made arrangements to spend a few days there before we head further East.

We returned to Rapid via SD 44. Good road but not much for services. It does run thru the Buffalo Gap grass lands and crosses the Badlands NP. Nice lonely road.

Monday 6/9

Today was our day to return to Box Elder and Americas Mailbox so there was no hurry to get on the road. We decided to take the coach to Bell Fourche to a Sinclar station to diesel up since the price there was about 20 cents less than the Flying J next to the CG.

We checked in and picked up our mail and packages and the tags for the Jeep. Coach tags would take another day or two since we owed another $234 in taxes. We gave the Americas Mailbox folks the additional funds and they will go to the County Office and take care of ours and others tags. Should have them by Wednesday.

Got everything set up and just kicked back.

Sunday 6/8 D.C. Booth

Decided to have a pancake breakfast this morning since it was cool and raining. Suzette did a load of wash after breakfast and we watched some of the Sprint Cup race. Since it was being recorded we decided to go to D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery. Very interesting however the Fish and Wildlife want to close it. I think a lot would be lost if this historic site is closed.

We spent some time in the gift shop talking to the volunteer that was attending to it that day. They are full-time from Texas and have been working at the hatchery for several years. They have a site at the City Campground that is just across the street.

After we returned to the coach we finished the race and saw that Junior won. Go Junior.

Museum Day

It was just a crappy outside day so it was a perfect time to visit the Museum. Very well done and covered a lot of this area. Only a small portion of the collection is on display and an expansion is planned. The river walk also has a 9 hole disk golf course. To cold and drizzly to play and enjoy it.

We found Robbs, food, wheels, tubs, toilets, shoes, cosmetics, cleaning stuff, .... paw through and you might find something you need.

After lunch we decided we would watch a DVD. Well we thought we would watch a DVD. There are two DVD players in the front entertainment cabinet. Which remote for which one. Oh this one is for the dash "radio". Oh no batteries in this one. Ok it says a DVD is playing. Neither TV will display anything. I wonder which HDMI input they used. Nothing on any  of the three.

Crap to many wires. So I removed the Dish receiver, top DVD player and looked at all the unused wires. Found another HDMI cable and plugged it in to the remaining DVD player. Now the main TV is getting the movie. Hooked up the other DVD player and connected one of the remaining 2 HDMI cables and the front TV gets the picture. Both TV's use HDMI 2 input for the DVD.

Then hooked up the Dish receiver and now we have it all. However I think heat buildup causes the Dish receiver to get flakey so I will have to add some spacer between Dish and the other components and possibly a small fan.

Back to the Tower

It was an easy drive to Belle Fourche and we arrived around 12:30. Did a quick setup and headed back to Devils Tower. A long drive but well worth it. We did the hike around the base and it really different each time you stop to view. You can see our pictures here.We did see a few prayer clothes. There are no climbers in June because climbing is voluntarily closed out of respect to the Native Peoples.

After we returned we feed and walked Logan then off to eat at Belle Inn. After dinner we went to the Center of the Country, COC. Of course by that time the museum was closed but we did put a foot on the COC, Geographic Center Of the Country, all 50 states.

Another Day another 3 hours in the Drivers Lounge

Since we didn't need to be at Interstate PowerSystems until after Noon we decided to take a quick drive to Devils Tower to check out the National Park campground to see if we could squeeze in. We think we could but decided we would find another campground.

Back to All Seasons for a quick lunch before taking the coach back to Interstate. Went to the service writer and he had to check to see if the part was in. It was. So off to the waiting/drivers lounge. There was another couple there and we had an interesting afternoon visiting with them. They are independent truckers and invited us to stay in their driveway if we get up their way. We exchanged information and may just take them up on their offer.

Tomorrow we head to Wyatt's Hideaway in Belle Fourche. That will be our base until Monday and allow us to spend some time at Devils Tower, Suudance and the surrounding area.

Registering Vehicles

After we signed the papers for the coach and drove it off to Elkhart Campground I found that the dealer did not give me a certificate of origin which is needed to register the coach. So I think I have all the paperwork and turn it over to a representative of Americas Mailbox to handle the registration. OOPS one more thing is needed, proof that the dealer paid the South Dakota tax. Wait for that to be faxed. We now have been at the campground at Americas Mailbox for almost 2 weeks and have an appointment to have the transmission looked at by Interstate Powersystems in Gillette WY. Still no tags just a trip permit and we head off to Gillette.

We receive an email from AM that the Jeep is registered but there is another issue with the coach. SD wants to tax an item listed as other on the purchase order. This item is really an extended warranty contract. So now to get a document that states such.

Maybe by the end of next week we will have tags for the coach.

Oh the loan you ask, well we signed the loan documents on 5/16 and I just got an email from the dealer that they had the payment and would make the payoff payment on the coach we traded in. Sloooow.

New Coach

As many of you may know we purchased a 2013 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 43 PKQ. I thinkj the Q means quad slides, P K your guess.
Not long after we signed papers and loaded our stuff in it we had a Check Trans and Service Trans indicators come on. We were able to get it into an Allison shop but not a first line shop. They checked it out and said there was a missing wire in the harness. Also that it was safe to drive with out damaging the transmission. One solution they offered was to have the TCM, Transmission Control Module, reprogrammed to disable the prognostics. The prognostics tell you the health of the transmission, when to change fluid and change filters.

So we drove it. We wanted to get to South Dakota to change our residency and register the coach. Everything worked well with no apparent issues with the transmission. While in Box Elder, near Rapid City, I did another search and found a real Allison shop in Gillette WY. So, still without a registered coach, we make arrangements to have the transmission looked at by Interstate P:owersystems.

Their analysis is that there is a defective contact in the 80 pin connector that attaches the wiring harness to the TCM. About 3 hours of analysis and putting things back together so we could drive back to the campground. Yep they didn't have the needed connector shell. One is ordered from one of their sister locations and will be in by noon 6/4.

So two more nights, minimum, in Gillette before we head back east.

Custer State Park

With a picnic lunch packed we took a drive to Custer State Park where we purchased our 7 day entry pass. After a visit to the visitors center we headed off on the wildlife loop road. First thing we saw were a few Pronghorn Sheep.

We saw a few more before we stopped at a ranger station. The ranger suggested we take a loop on the unpaved roads, jackpot. Lots of Buffalo,  Prairie Dogs, more Pronghorn ...

Oh yes there are Donkeys there too.

Then we headed for Needles highway. More twists and turns and scenery.

We could see clouds building and expected late day rain.

SD Air and Space Museum

I did a little work on the coach installing at TPMS signal booster. It is direct wired into a closet light so I will add a switch so I can turn off the booster when we are not traveling. A trip to Radio Shack on another day.

Then it was off to the Air and Space Museum. Very interesting display of aircraft the B1B that meets you on entry is awesome.  The interior display is also very well done. We signed up for the base tour which includes a visit to a Minuteman II training silo. That was pretty cool. A look here will do better than any pictures I took with my phone.

Crazy Horse & 1880's Train

On Friday the 23'rd we were off to Crazy Horse Memorial. There were a lot of changes since we last visited 24 years ago. The visitors center and parking were different from what we remembered. The mountain was the same but different. We could see subtle changes to the area of the horse head. Since the monument is in the round changes to the back side of the head are not visible from the visitors center. Looking at a picture in the VC that was near the time we visited in 1990 and what we could see now allowed us to really see what changed.

We found the visitors center and museum to be very interesting and spent a lot of time looking at the exhibits.

When we were finished at Crazy Horse we returned to Hill City to have lunch and board the 1880's train for our round trip ride to Keystone SD. It was a very interesting ride with 6% or steeper grade.
You can learn more about the train here.

Rapid City SD

On our trip from Plankinton to Americas Mailbox we stopped at the visitors center just before the Missouri river. Very nice exhibits on Lewis and Clark. There was light rain so it was not very picturesque.

We arrived at Americas Mailbox about 2:30 local time and got checked in and received information on where to go to get SD drivers license  the following day.  So after we got parked in our site and set up we decided to head out to find the license place and wal mart as well as get something to eat for dinner.

We found a Taco Johns and decided to try their fare.  We placed our order and as I was reaching for my wallet, surprise, we were selected to have dinner on Taco Johns. Apparently they do this from time to time. Cool a free meal.

Thursday we went to the license office and within about 30 minutes we had our SD drivers license. Back to Americas Mailbox to start the vehicle registration process. The word is to let AM do the work for us so we signed POA and filled our a couple of forms and gave the money for the registrations.

Since we had plenty of daylight left we headed to Mt. Rushmore. Wow what a difference 24 years make. We took the hike to the base of  the monument which provided different views. Quite an experience.

Our return trip took us on 16a which was a much better motorcycle road but the jeep was fun none the less.

Plankinton SD

Yep a small town about 30 miles west of Mitchel. We are in a Passport America park. A small little park with a pool and laundry. You need to make your own fun here. Read more about Plankinton here.

The drive was a non event, no wind, just a few sprinklesd no real construction delays.

The Day The Music Died

Today we traveled to Clear Lake Iowa. The winds were uncomfortable to say the least, 25 or so with higher gusts from the Southwest. So we are trucking along I80 West and getting blown around a bit.

We arrived at Oakwood RV Park about 1430 and quickly set up and then headed off to the Surf Ballroom and Museum. which was the last place Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. " the big bopper"  Richardson, played before they were killed in a plane crash on February 3rd 1959. We also went to the crash site. Quite moving. You can read more here.

Time to catch up

I should really do this more often but it is what it is.

Following the Holiday Rambler Maintenance Session, MS, we spent about a week at Elkhart campground.  That gave us time to chase down some paperwork on our new coach, meet with full timing friends, Herb and Ginger to see their new coach and time for them to see our new coach. We spent some time just being tourists and really enjoyed the area. We plan to make next years MS and spend more time in the area as well as attend seminars that we missed since we were moving into our coach.

We left Elkhart and headed to Marshall MI to attend the Michigan state Good Sam rally. The weather sucked but we did get to visit with Tom and Sue who are our neighbors at Sun-N-Fun in FL. We did tour the town on free museum day and had interesting visits to the Magic Museum, Honolulu House, Post Office Museum, Walters Gasoline Museum. Of course we had to go to Dark Horse Brewing and get a couple, well 4, PLEAD THE 5TH IMPERIAL STOUT,  to take  with us. Very Dark, Very Good 11% brew.

Today we made the drive to Geneseo IL. The campground is next to the Hennepin Canal Parkway. This looks to be a real gem. I think we need to visit this area for several days on another trip and explore the canal and surrounding area.

Tomorrow we travel to Clear Lake Iowa. Who will be the first to tell me why Clear Lake is siginificant?

Hint: Feb. 3 1959

Making as a tourist

We have spent the last few days being a tourist since we didn't have time for that while we were going through the purchase and move thing.

We went back to Goshen and the Fair Grounds to meet with full time friends Ginger and Herb from vermont and look at their new Pheaton 40. We also took care of some paperwork issues with the selling dealer. Herb and Ginger are attending the Escapees RVers Boot Camp as well as the 54th Escapade.

Sunday after they were through with boot camp Herb and Ginger came here to see our rig, visit and go out to dinner.

Of course we have made a few modifications to make this rig ours, some coat hooks for when we come in with wet/damp jackets, a pull out wire shelf assembly to serve as a pantry, some hooks to hang a broom and swiffer.

This is a picture of our new rig;

Check out this link.

The cockpit

Lots of gauges and switches.

Why haven 't I posted in a few days?

Well, we have been busy at the Maintenance Session, MS. We attended a few seminars and dealt with banks, dealer, insurance on a new coach. Yes, we were not going to buy another coach for 3 to 5 years but figured all we would be in 3 to 5 years was 3 to 5 years older and why wait?

So we purchased a 2013 Holiday Rambler 43PKQ. We really like the floor plan and the fact that it is an all electric coach. The residential fridge is a great upgrade from the Dometic in our other coach. Another nice feature is that the roof A/C's condensate drain are plumbed to the rear of the coach and down through the engine air intake bay. No more condensate running down the coach or into the slide covers. Automatic air leveling is another very nice feature as is the induction cook top. Since the cook-top is induction we needed new cookware. Suzette looked at the cookware that was being sold and a set was about $800. No Way. We were going to take a magnet to Goodwill and see what we could find but our salesman saved the day by finding cookware that was in a coach that was being purchased from someone who was getting out of RVing.

This thing drives much better than our previous coach and has more carrying capacity, one of the factors that even got us looking, we were about 300# overweight in or 40PDQ.

We are currently at Elkhart  Campground where we will stay for about a week.

Another day at the rally

Spent another day at the vendor area. More time looking at the coach we looked at yesterday.

Attended the first timers reception, neat. They had some food and drinks for us. Watched a vendor take a coach out of the building. Boy the professional dirvers and spotters can get them in and out of tight places.

Cool and sprinkles today. Not nice.

Goshen, IN

Easy drive to Goshen. My ScanGuageD showed 9.2 for the trip. To bad I can't get that all the time.  The world would have to be as flat as Indiana and what fun would that be? On arrival we had the coach weighed on all 4 corners. Only about 200# over weight, balance, left to right, isn't all that bad either. At the seminal later this week I'm sure will get some guidance on what to do to improve things.

Since we arrived early, the rally doesn't begin until Friday, we were assigned a full hook up site with 50A service. We also registered fairly early so that played into the parking too.

While walking thru the vendor area we allowed ourselves to get trapped by an rv dealer and ended up taking a 43' tag axle 2013 Endeavor for a test drive. It has many features we like and one I question, the Maxx Force 10 engine. It drove real well. They will have to have a very sharp pencil for us to be able to afford to upgrade this soon. But it does give us a data point for a few years down the road.

Dinner was an arranged affair at an Amish home about 35 minutes away. Food was good.

Anderson IN

Another leg of our journey to the Holiday Rambler Chapter 419 Maintenance Session complete. Not a bad day but the roads are not the best. Kinda like North East roads, pot holes. Really shook thing up but nothing broke. We did have some cross wind along I69 and I'm glad I didn't have to drive in it all day.

We are at Timberline Valley RV Resort which is a nice little camp ground.. Owners are friendly and helpful. There is an airport, regional, near by but not an issue. There are also train tracks that are well away but you still hear the horn and they approach crossings. Not really an issue.

Bowling Green

Yesterday we made the trip from Elkmont to Bowling Green KOA. No issues on the road but the traffic was heavy in both directions. Easy into the KOA and a decent site. Like all KOA's it is on the pricey side but location, location, location.

Once set up my first job was to tighten the bike rack. It works loose in a few thousand miles. This time I had some blue thread locker to put on the bolt. So we will see if it stay's tight longer, like forever.

The KOA is near Aviation Heritage Park which I would like to visit but the weather has not cooperated, rain, high wind, tornado warnings generally not nice to crawl around in the rain. However the National Corvette Museum is near by. Museums are a good place to go on a rainy day.

Quite a place. There were at least 6 new Corvettes in the main entry hall waiting for their owners to take delivery. After our museum tour we saw several owners being given the rundown on their new toy's by their advisor type person. Very impressive.

The museum is really worth a visit even with the sink hole. The sink hole did not so any damage to the main museum display area. Only the Sky Dome Hall of Fame was damaged, and that is a big ONLY. There is a display area of the vett's they pulled out. It is enough to make you cry.

Put the bikes back on the rack, bailed out the kayaks and put the cockpit covers on. Then more rain.
Thunder, lightning, tornado warning. Our basement is full so we will have to find other shelter next time. We waited this one out in the RV since the news/weather showed to warning area several miles east of us. I don't think any tornadoes touched down,

We spent some time going over our travel plans for the next couple of days and where to fuel. Indiana is one of the states that do not add the tax at the truck pumps. So in all stations except Pilot/Flying J you have to get diesel at the non truck pumps. PFJ has the tech to adjust the price at the pump for us RV's so we can use the truck islands.

There are not many, really no, Pilot Flying J north of Saginaw MI and in the UP as well as Wisconsin, Minnesota but this page from DieselPlace should be a big help.


Tomorrow we head to Indianapolis for an overnight before a short ride to Goshen  and the rally.

Another day another 3xx miles

Today we drove from Pine Lake to Mill Creek to see rural Alabama. Yep it is rural. The road in was long and dusty and the jeep looked like it was covered with flour. Not really a bad park, however there are only 5 of us here. There are a few rigs which look to be seasonal but no folks in them. Although it is about 8 miles from the Interstate it isn't a bad choice considering that it is a Passport America park and only cost us $16. There does seem to be a lot to see and do in the area but it isn't in our plan to explore this area on this visit.

I really wanted to see the Sprint Cup race at RIR so I chatted with Dish Customer Service to get my service address changed to the campgrounds address. Finally after 3 chat sessions I have the locals for this area. However it looks like they left the Sarasota locals active for my receiver. If I could just get those turkeys to provide the national feeds I would be happy.

Suzette took a few pictures with her iPad and she may have posted them on FB. I'll try and get them loaded to our online album.

Saying good bye to the gulf, for a while

We choose to stay at Pine Lake RV because it was a Passport America park and we could stay cheap and still get to Panama City rather easily. We went to St Andrews SP to spend a little time at the snow white beach and do a little kayaking. I think the sand here is much whiter than Sarasota. "...The soft Panama City Beach sand is actually quartz crystals, which over time has been broken down, bleached, polished and deposited on the shoreline. This natural process has made Panama City Beach home to the "World's Most Beautiful Beaches."  ".

 Where did the quartz come from, would you believe the Appalachian Mountain chain a few thousands of years ago. Check it out.

Well, kayaking, beach time, and late lunch at Margaritaville a fine day all in all.

Pine Lake is kind of in the middle of no where so if you go take your own fun and have enough eats and beverages. The sites are flat and well spaced and the services were good. I don't know if we would stay there more than a couple of days. Perhaps we didn't look hard enough for what is in the surrounding area. There is some river kayaking but the one launch site we went to was a floating dock and the river was very high and flowing quite fast. If there was a down stream pick up it would have been fun.

Margaritaville

Another hour to play Pickleball

But no pickleball here at Pine Lake RV Park in Fountain FL. There really isn't much here or near here, but it is cheap and almost on the way to Goshen.

Our annual service was completed and we left Alliance Coach about 0930 and arrived here at about 1530. The extra hour came from passing into CDT somewhere on I10, about MM160 or so.

I did get the bugs cleaned off of the windshield and we did check out a possible kayak launch. Decided we would not kayak there, a close launch, because the river is really running high and it is a floating dock which could be hard to get out of the kayak.

Tomorrow it will be a day at the beach, sort of, in Panama City with lunch at Margaritaville Cafe.

Annual Service

We are currently at Alliance Coach in Wildwood FL to get the annual service completed as well as a few minor things taken care of;

1. Lube, oil, filter
2. Air filter, check and replace as needed. I do not trust indicator.
3. Check and adjust coolant SCA. Replace coolant if needed.
4. Check serpentine belt and replace if needed.
5. Check hydraulic fluid and filter and replace as needed.
6. Service generator, oil, fuel, air filters.
7. Service transmission, change filter(s).
8. Check ride height and adjust if needed.
9. Replace air drier desiccant canister.
10. Estimate paint repair curb side near rear wheel.
11. Replace valve extensions, right rear.

Everything should be completed and we should be on the road after we review the service and pay for it.

We had a great evening last night, 4/22, with friends Phil and Jan Cervi who we know from our days at Endicott IBM. We spent most of the day with them playing pickelball, visiting and lunch. When we returned from pickleball Logan was so excited to see us he went for a swim in their pool. I guess he thought the pool  cover, plastic thing to keep the heat in, was a little more solid than it was. Quite a shock for him.

We got a load of laundry done and a light supper. While at supper we saw that the yanks and sox were playing so I put the sat up and we are watching the game. It is the Sox to loose at 4 to 1 Sox in the top of the eight.

Tomorrow we head for the panhandle of Florida on our journey to the HRRVC chapter 419 rally, called the MS, in Goshen IN.

Rvillage.com

This is a Facebook like site for RV'ers.
Check it out, we are HRCAMPER on that site.

Happy Easter

What a fine day.
We went out for breakfast and returned to the park a little before 0900. Took care of a few things and then off to the pickleball courts. We played until noon. Some good games, some not so good but we had fun and that's what it is all about.

I did a little work on the coach and Suzette prepared her dish for the Westfield groups Easter Dinner.
We had a great dinner and nice visit with our friends. To work off a little dinner we took a bike ride around the park. It is really getting empty. Many are leaving tomorrow, Monday, with more leaving on Tuesday, which is our day.

See you on the road.

A new look

Well lets try this template and see how it goes.

The place is starting to clear out and being replaced by those heading north and with some locals on a long weekend.

Another day at the resort

Typical Sunday, 4 hours of Pickleball, washed Logan, played 18 holes of disc golf.

New bicycle

Bought a new giant last Tuesday. The brake cable broke on my 1987 bike so figured time for a new one.

Our Tire Adventure

We got a later that desired start due to goodbye's, and a couple of interruptions. We had decided to head north to go south thereby avoiding South Burlington and other cities on our usual route. So off to St Albans to fuel up. Well at about 14 miles out I noticed that I had a low tire pressure, 52#'s. They were fine yesterday when I checked. So we continued to the Jolly truck stop, fueled up and called GoodSam Roadside Assistance. While waiting for them to call back we called TDI Repair Facility and for 105/hr they were willing to help. Turns out GS also called them and took care or half+ of the bill.

I posted on FB that I had a problem and a full-time friend, Paul Surhoff, called and we discussed my problem. Well it seems like he had a similar problem and it was the braided valve stem extenders. As we were talking the service truck arrived.

I discussed Paul's information with the tech and he removed the extension as part removing the tire for inspection. We noted that the 'O' ring where the extension attaches to the valve stem was cracked. Also the tech said the "nut" was not very tight, so something else to check from time to time. The tire visually checked ok and held air, 120#, for quite awhile. Buttoned everything up, had lunch, hit the road. We arrived at Susquehanna Trails, a Passport America park, about 6 PM so all in all not a bad day.

Graduating to full time

Well we spent most of the last week getting ready to make our jump to full time RVer's. Things we may want in the future are in storage. Tools, woodworking equipment, and our first motorcycle, 1969 Honda CL350, went to our son. Everything we think we need to live is in the RV and ready to go.

We still own a  house but it is on the market and we hope it will sell soon.

See you on the internet and on the road.

A little more on our NS trip

Our first stop was at Pumpkin Patch RV Resort in Maine. Very nice place and we received a 15% discount for being Escapees members. We took Maine 9 over to the Calais and then thru the new border crossing. It is very nice both ways. During the trip to our next destination we stopped at a rest area/welcome center where we met Vermonters from Bakersfield. We had a little chat and found that they were going to PEI. Our destination for that leg was Campers City in Moncton NB. This is a Good Sam park so we received a 10% discount there.

For dinner we went to Captain Dan's in Shediac NB. They had an all you can eat fish basket special the night we visited so I pigged out. We hung around the Warf after dinner and watched the boats and had ice cream. Oh Captain  Dan is not a promoted Lt. Dan from Forest Gump.

The next day it was on to NS. Just over the border we made a stop at the rest area, welcome center/gift shop. We picked up a few things and as we were leaving the store we ran into the Vermonters from Bakersfield. Then it was off to Wayside campground another Passport America park on Peggy's Cove Road. Of course we went to Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg. After a couple days we headed for the Bay side of NS. Our stop there was Dunromin campground in Granville Ferry. We visited Annapolis Royal, Fort Anne, the light house and generally soaked in the area. Of special interest to me was the Annapolis Royal Generating Station which uses the tidal change to generate power.

Our next stop was Windsor NS where we attended the Atlantic Provenances Good Sam Samboree. We had a great time there and visited the Hockey Heritage Museum since Windsor is the birthplace of hockey.

On to Hopewell Rocks which are just fascinating. Watch the tide change what more can I say?

Our next stop was Campobello Island where FDR had his summer cottage. We stayed 2 nights at the provincial park which was very nice and not very busy. We found free wifi at the store near the campground.

Then home with a stop at Bethel Maine Outdoor Adventure another Passport America park and another discount. 

Lunenburg NS

Ok so this post will be about today's trip. When I get around to it I will post some of our other adventures so things will show up out of order.

We took a drive to Lunenburg to visit the fisheries museum and see the Bluenose II which is being restored. We found the the museum to be quite interesting and spent a lot of time there. Watched a film that was mostly about the Bluenose and fishing on the grand banks. Boy they knew what hard work was. Iron men on wooden boats.

We couldn't get  very close to the Bluenose II but we did get some pictures, pix.

Overcast and drizzle most of the day. Good day to be inside.

Syracuse GS/CW Rally

We attended the Good Sam/Camping World Rally at Syracuse NY. There was a lot of rain and they had to put about 800 rigs in a parking lot at the mall. We attended some seminars, walked out of some, learned a few things.

We had a good time with our chapter members who attended and enjoyed the entertainment and 2 nights of good fireworks.

It was a rally so we looked at stuff, bought some stuff, ate. Biggest thing was to have the coach measured for Auto Motion Shades to replace the pleated day/night shades that are standard. We will have the new shades installed in November.

At the house

Made a couple of fixes, rebuilt drawers under cook top and replaced economy slides with full extension slides, made and installed shelf in closet, repaired dining table chairs, installed knife rack. Now to wash it and move it to the top of the hill.

Oneonta

Uneventful trip to Susquehanna Trails CG our first Passport America park. $17.50. A little dated with railroad tracks across the street from the CG. We are toward the rear and really aren't bothered by the occasional train.

After we got set up we went out to get the Jeep washed. It was really dirty from towing in the rain when we left Lake Anna. With the kayaks on top we just cleared the wash bay. We weren't sure we could clear pulling forward so we backed out. Then off to WM to pick up a few things. I bought 28" wiper blades since the 32" that are on the coach are not usually stocked in stores. Just a slight modification to get the automobile blades to fit but they look like they will do the job. The 4" loss isn't really noticeable, we'll  see  how they do on the road.

Dinner at Brooks House of BBQ. Best BBQ chicken.

Off to Vermont tomorrow.

We're not there, we're somewhere else

While at Newport News we visited with our friends Toby and Mary. On Wednesday Toby and I sailed on a J40, raced actually, and were first to cross the line but were 2nd on corrected time. We had to make up about 5 minutes and were able to get a 2 minutes on the last leg and about 30 seconds more on the next to last leg. Quite a ride.

While we were sailing Mary and Suzette had a girls night out. Shopping and dinner out.

From Newport News we went to Lake Anna and hung out there for several days. We were able to renew some friendships at the park as well as see friends from the time we lived there.

While we were dumping on our way out of the park I hooked up the Jeep. As I attempted to get the Jeep in tow mode I noticed that the transfer case lever was not connected to the transfer case mechanism. Called a local dealer, Fredericksburg, and they said to bring it in and they would get right on it. They did and $180 later we were on our way back to the park to get hooked up and head out.

Had to take a few 2 lane roads. That takes some getting used to when you are driving a 8'6" wide coach and meet an equally large 18 wheeler or other large truck.

We arrived at Jonestown KOA, formally Lickdale campground, about 6 pm.

Where are we now and how did we get here?

Well right now we are at Wade NC KOA. How we got here is more of a story.

The day we were leaving SNF we decided we needed to get in a  couple of pickelball games before we took off. Maybe a good plan but when we attempted to start the coach it wouldn't. Tried the battery boost switch which should connect the house and chassis batteries, no luck. Read the owners manual, no real help. Wally and I trouble shot the system and determined that the battery boost solenoid was not working. Wally had jumper cables, mine are in Vermont, so we managed to get the coach started. So off we head for Alliance Coach for the annual maintenance and a few fixes.

We arrived later than we wanted and were on the wait list  for a camping spot. We did not get to see the service writer on Monday. Tuesday morning we were expecting someone at the coach at 0700 so we were up early and had the coach ready to go. Well that didn't happen. Turns out we were to go to the office and get things written up by the service writer. Got that done and was told to pack a lot of patience. So packed.

After a couple of 2 hour, it will be 10 minutes, notifications from the service write they took the coach at 1530 and did their own determination that the battery boost solenoid was defective. So much for day 1 in service. Day 2's service didn't go much better. It took them all day to replace the solenoid, replace the waste system pump, check a few items on our punch list. Day 3 they finally got to do the oil and lube. Settled up and were on the road abut 1330.

Our stop for the day was Stagecoach RV park. Once we were set up we went shopping at Camping World. The next day we ran some errands and did some site seeing.

On our way to Crooked River State Park we made our first fuel stop. The tank gauge read about 3/8 of a tank So I figured I would need about 60+ gallons. Fooled me only took 48+gal or about $195. We had intended to visit Cumberland National Sea Shore but the weather wasn't to our liking so we just hung out.

So that is how we got here.

Snowbird migration

Yes we have joined the great migration. However a few weeks ago we had a couple of bubba's on our street. Turned out they were KY lawyers. They were known as bubba and butt crack They were heard discussing clients and the clients personal information. KY's future lawmakers.

Blog Slacking at Sun-N-Fun

It's been a while since we have last posted anything. So what have we been up to? Only limited kayaking since we have been here. We haven't spent a lot of time in the Stained Glass Studio however we are assisting with teaching the intermediate class. This class deals with 3D construction and some lead came construction.

We have taken up Pickleball What a fun game. A friend described it as a game played by old people to get dehydrated so they could drink more beer. I don't think he was completely correct. Many age groups play the game and all that I have seen drink water to keep from getting dehydrated.

So when anything interesting happens I will try and post in a timely manner.

Cool in Sarasota

Well its been a while but there hasn't been much to write about. We are getting used to our MH and doing a little kayaking, biking, disk golf and have taken up pickle ball.
Suzette is keeping up with her dulcimer and crafts. Every thing is going well.