I truly do not know how I accomplished all I needed to accomplish before I "retired." The last couple of days have been pretty busy around here - accomplishing post winter yard cleanup, replacing brakes on Eric & Jen's car, and just accomplishing "stuff" that needs to get done. Worse than that -- the list of "stuff" that needs doing is getting longer .. not shorter! Oh well - it will all get done - sooner or later.
In between all my chores we made it over to Darrell and Judy's rig the other night for some homemade seafood chowdah. Darrell did a great job with his family recipe! A couple of bowls of chowdah, a couple of nice dinner rolls, and a couple of Judy's margaritas - life is indeed GOOD. That chowdah was sooo good - we took a break from playing auto mechanic yesterday and had some more ... it was even better the second time!
So now that the Patterson fifth wheel is back together, Eric & Jen's brakes are replaced, and Phase I of the yard cleanup is done - what's next? Well let's see ... vehicles that need scrubbing, engines that need oil changes, flowers that need planting, landscaping that needs doing, fence that needs replacing, deck handrail that needs building, deck that needs sealing, house that needs painting ... . I may need to retire again!
Oh yeah - I forgot - and we need to get ready to hit the road again in a couple of weeks -- heading to New Jersey for a grand daughter dance recital and birthday party. You know what they say ... "A Maineiac in Motion gathers no Moss."
At least I think that's the way I heard it!!!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Perspective - Topsham, Maine
Isn't technology wonderful? Yesterday I arose, started the coffee, and grabbed my computer to accomplish my morning browsing - Nope not going to happen!! It seems my wireless broadband device would not connect to the Verizon network. After a call to Verizon I rapidly learned that they were experiencing a "4G outage." But I'm not using your 4G network I explain ... "doesn't matter" you are using a 4G capable device they explain! Grrrr!!! So after not being able to access the internet all day - last night I decided to try a trick I learned right after I received my new 4G modem a few months ago - basically the trick involves locking the modem into the "old fashioned" 3G mode .... Voila - it worked!!!
So this morning I have internet access. I guess I'll wait awhile for Verizon to fix their system before I return the modem to "normal." Yup - Technology is a wonderful thing!
If you have been following Darrell Patterson's blog ya'll know that we picked up the repair part for his fifth wheel's landing leg system on Tuesday, got it installed in the leg Tuesday evening (after a few improvement "modifications"), and he got everthing reattached and working yesterday morning! Yet another successful repair conducted here at the Evringham RV Repair and Hair Care Center of Southern Maine!!
It has been a wild and Crazy week - visitng with D&J, fixing RVs, visits with all the kids and grandkids, Easter BBQ for the whole gang - whew -- I'm beat!!!!
Regardless of how tough I think I've had it these last few days - it doesn't even show on the chart for the tough times those folks down in the southeast are having! What devastation from winds, tornados, hail, and flooding!!! Spring can be beautiful - Spring can be harsh.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those down south who are hurting this morning.
So this morning I have internet access. I guess I'll wait awhile for Verizon to fix their system before I return the modem to "normal." Yup - Technology is a wonderful thing!
If you have been following Darrell Patterson's blog ya'll know that we picked up the repair part for his fifth wheel's landing leg system on Tuesday, got it installed in the leg Tuesday evening (after a few improvement "modifications"), and he got everthing reattached and working yesterday morning! Yet another successful repair conducted here at the Evringham RV Repair and Hair Care Center of Southern Maine!!
It has been a wild and Crazy week - visitng with D&J, fixing RVs, visits with all the kids and grandkids, Easter BBQ for the whole gang - whew -- I'm beat!!!!
Regardless of how tough I think I've had it these last few days - it doesn't even show on the chart for the tough times those folks down in the southeast are having! What devastation from winds, tornados, hail, and flooding!!! Spring can be beautiful - Spring can be harsh.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those down south who are hurting this morning.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
It's All Randy and Terry's Fault - Topsham, Maine
Today was a wild and crazy day. First on the agenda was removal of the landing leg on Darrell and Judy's Fifth Wheel. That didn't take too long and by 9:00 AM we had the broken leg off, the broken drive shaft removed and the new one ordered. Now we wait until hopefully no later than Tuesday to get the new one so we can get it back together.
Then it was back home to help get the cookout going. My job was to cook the ribs - in the rain! Somehow we got it all done - had all three kids and their families over - added Darrell and Judy for more fun - and found room in the house for that whole mob. Whew - what a day.
But all that is not the subject of this blog ... . I've been contemplating all the issues we and our RVing friends have had the last few months. We managed to lose our car while towing, Darrell and Judy have managed to break the landing gear on their rig, Judi and Gene Curp had to replace a hot water heater and then had a real scare last week when it looked like they had lost oil pressure (turned out to be a faulty wire - but it didn't look good for a short period of time), and Randy and Terry tore up their truck and fifth wheel when a deer decided to join them while they were at highway speed! After giving all this a lot of thought I have concluded that it's all Randy and Terry's fault! They started it - we all felt sorry for them - and then we tried to outdo their adventure.
But that's it! No more! We've all had our turn and there is no need to keep trying to outdo the other!
Randy and Terry will have to travel to Maine to pick up their RV Leadership Award for 2011. I sure hope they make it without giving us more examples to try and live up to!!
Have a Great Easter everybody. Think Spring!
Then it was back home to help get the cookout going. My job was to cook the ribs - in the rain! Somehow we got it all done - had all three kids and their families over - added Darrell and Judy for more fun - and found room in the house for that whole mob. Whew - what a day.
But all that is not the subject of this blog ... . I've been contemplating all the issues we and our RVing friends have had the last few months. We managed to lose our car while towing, Darrell and Judy have managed to break the landing gear on their rig, Judi and Gene Curp had to replace a hot water heater and then had a real scare last week when it looked like they had lost oil pressure (turned out to be a faulty wire - but it didn't look good for a short period of time), and Randy and Terry tore up their truck and fifth wheel when a deer decided to join them while they were at highway speed! After giving all this a lot of thought I have concluded that it's all Randy and Terry's fault! They started it - we all felt sorry for them - and then we tried to outdo their adventure.
But that's it! No more! We've all had our turn and there is no need to keep trying to outdo the other!
Randy and Terry will have to travel to Maine to pick up their RV Leadership Award for 2011. I sure hope they make it without giving us more examples to try and live up to!!
Have a Great Easter everybody. Think Spring!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Looking Like a Busy Weekend - Topsham, ME
Based on the comments I received to my last post - it seems many of my loyal readers were really impressed with my "Jury Rigging" skills. Or perhaps they were simply amazed that anybody would spend that amount of time and energy to watch a basketball game. Either way - I have no such new experiences to pass along today.
No - I have spent the last few days doing all the mundane things that need to be done when we get home to prepare the Winne for storage. Remove the "stuff" that gets removed, wash off the New Mexico/Oklahoma/Texas dirt, drain the fresh water tank and hot water heater, remove the tire pressure sensors, clean up the inside, grease the chassis ... the list when coming home is almost as long as the list when getting ready to leave! We have a little more work to accomplish tomorrow and then we should be ready to take Winne for her 1 year overdue annual safety inspection and then off to storage. She'll only be in storage for a few weeks before we will be taking a short trip to New Jersey - but at least my driveway will be clear for now.
It appears things may get busy around here this weekend. The kids/grandkids from NJ will be in the area for a few days so we will get to visit some with them, it's Easter weekend so we are planning a big family cookout on Saturday, and it looks like we will be getting an earlier than expected visit from our RVing buddies - Darrell and Judy Patterson. It seems their 5th Wheel home is having some "issues" with its "landing gear" and in need of some repair. After speaking with Darrell a couple of times today it looks like he/Judy have decided to "hot-foot" it to Maine from southern Virginia and we will fix it here rather than try and deal with all the hassles of getting it repaired while on the road.
Although we hate to hear that they are having "issues" ... we always enjoy our times with them and are more than glad to help them if/when we can. I know they would do the same for us!
Drive safe you Patterson's ... we'll keep a light on!
No - I have spent the last few days doing all the mundane things that need to be done when we get home to prepare the Winne for storage. Remove the "stuff" that gets removed, wash off the New Mexico/Oklahoma/Texas dirt, drain the fresh water tank and hot water heater, remove the tire pressure sensors, clean up the inside, grease the chassis ... the list when coming home is almost as long as the list when getting ready to leave! We have a little more work to accomplish tomorrow and then we should be ready to take Winne for her 1 year overdue annual safety inspection and then off to storage. She'll only be in storage for a few weeks before we will be taking a short trip to New Jersey - but at least my driveway will be clear for now.
It appears things may get busy around here this weekend. The kids/grandkids from NJ will be in the area for a few days so we will get to visit some with them, it's Easter weekend so we are planning a big family cookout on Saturday, and it looks like we will be getting an earlier than expected visit from our RVing buddies - Darrell and Judy Patterson. It seems their 5th Wheel home is having some "issues" with its "landing gear" and in need of some repair. After speaking with Darrell a couple of times today it looks like he/Judy have decided to "hot-foot" it to Maine from southern Virginia and we will fix it here rather than try and deal with all the hassles of getting it repaired while on the road.
Although we hate to hear that they are having "issues" ... we always enjoy our times with them and are more than glad to help them if/when we can. I know they would do the same for us!
Drive safe you Patterson's ... we'll keep a light on!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Jury Rigging - Topsham, ME
OK - we're home. Now what?
Yesterday was kind of a "transition day." We are living in the house - but a good deal of our stuff is still in the Winne out in the driveway. We are slowly getting the right stuff moved into the house - but we don't want to move everything in - we'll be taking a short trip to NJ in just a few weeks and we don't want to have to move a whole lot of "stuff" twice - if we don't have to!
Another transition issue is our (my) "need" (want) to watch TV. When we leave for an extended period I cancel our cable TV service which means I have to make an appointment to have it hooked back up when we return. That appointment is for early this morning (Monday). So what do we do on Sunday? Game 1 of the Celtics - Knicks NBA playoff series starts on Sunday! My backup plan was to go visit Kaj and Stacy around gametime - but first I thought I would try and get a Satellite TV signal into the house. What the heck - I am paying for Satellite TV service for one more day anyway - I might as well try! You need to understand that I've tried before. Our house happens to be surrounded by trees on the south and west sides of the house making it - "satellite challenged." But I figured - hey I cut down several trees last fall - and my neighbor has cut down a few also - so maybe - just maybe ... . So I spent most of the morning with my portable satellite dish trying to find a spot that would work. Nope - no luck. So I put all the equipment away and was pretty much ready to give up when I decided to crank up the Dish on the Winne to see if I could get a signal there. Lo and Behold! Even though the Dish was very close to the roof of the house I was able to get a weak signal! So I backed Winne up a little to clear the roofline and was able to get a good enough signal for the receiver to work. Yippee! Now all I had to do was run some coax cable from the Winne's outside entertainment center external connection into the house and hook it up to the TV. But how do I change the channels? I could just go out into the rig everytime I wanted to change channels - but that just wouldn't do. I know! - I'll put the Satellite receiver in the front window of the Winne and then point the remote through the house window next to my chair!! It worked!!!
Now all I had to do was sit in my chair - flip channels to my hearts content - and take great pride in my ability to adapt to the situation. This skill was somewhat self taught but was honed to a high degree during my 10 years in the US Navy where we learned early on that ones ability to "Jury Rig" was a key skill.
I have a zillion things that NEED to be done now that we're home so I guess I better get busy on those NEEDS and spend a little less time on my WANTS. "Retired" or not - some things just never change.
Yesterday was kind of a "transition day." We are living in the house - but a good deal of our stuff is still in the Winne out in the driveway. We are slowly getting the right stuff moved into the house - but we don't want to move everything in - we'll be taking a short trip to NJ in just a few weeks and we don't want to have to move a whole lot of "stuff" twice - if we don't have to!
Another transition issue is our (my) "need" (want) to watch TV. When we leave for an extended period I cancel our cable TV service which means I have to make an appointment to have it hooked back up when we return. That appointment is for early this morning (Monday). So what do we do on Sunday? Game 1 of the Celtics - Knicks NBA playoff series starts on Sunday! My backup plan was to go visit Kaj and Stacy around gametime - but first I thought I would try and get a Satellite TV signal into the house. What the heck - I am paying for Satellite TV service for one more day anyway - I might as well try! You need to understand that I've tried before. Our house happens to be surrounded by trees on the south and west sides of the house making it - "satellite challenged." But I figured - hey I cut down several trees last fall - and my neighbor has cut down a few also - so maybe - just maybe ... . So I spent most of the morning with my portable satellite dish trying to find a spot that would work. Nope - no luck. So I put all the equipment away and was pretty much ready to give up when I decided to crank up the Dish on the Winne to see if I could get a signal there. Lo and Behold! Even though the Dish was very close to the roof of the house I was able to get a weak signal! So I backed Winne up a little to clear the roofline and was able to get a good enough signal for the receiver to work. Yippee! Now all I had to do was run some coax cable from the Winne's outside entertainment center external connection into the house and hook it up to the TV. But how do I change the channels? I could just go out into the rig everytime I wanted to change channels - but that just wouldn't do. I know! - I'll put the Satellite receiver in the front window of the Winne and then point the remote through the house window next to my chair!! It worked!!!
Now all I had to do was sit in my chair - flip channels to my hearts content - and take great pride in my ability to adapt to the situation. This skill was somewhat self taught but was honed to a high degree during my 10 years in the US Navy where we learned early on that ones ability to "Jury Rig" was a key skill.
I have a zillion things that NEED to be done now that we're home so I guess I better get busy on those NEEDS and spend a little less time on my WANTS. "Retired" or not - some things just never change.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Home! - Topsham, ME
As predicted - we made it home today - arriving right around 2 PM. Shortly after getting the Vue disconnected and the Winne in the driveway Stacy and Kaj showed up to greet us - so we even got some welcome home hugs - not a bad deal! The house was right where we left it - the snow we left was gone!
Well it has been a fun trip. Not counting our first aborted attempt at leaving back in January - We have been gone for 71 days/nights - right at 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks we drove through 21 states and stayed overnight in 13 of those states in 23 different RV Parks/Campgrounds. Our longest single stay was 3 weeks at Rainbow Plantation in Alabama. Our most expensive overnight stop was at Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, NJ at $42 for the night - our least expensive stay was at the Rainbow Plantation at $15.70 per night. Our average nightly cost for an RV parking spot was $25.70 - pretty close to what we budgeted. I know we can travel cheaper than $25 per night, especially if we "camp" without hookups for a few nights here and there - but $25 a night is not too bad for full hookups most every night, cable TV for probably half the time, and a close-by laundry when we needed one.
When we left - gasoline was $3.179 here in Topsham. When we returned it was $3.799 - a $0.62 increase! The $3.799 fuel here at home was our most expensive fill-up! Our cheapest gas was in Wytheville, VA back in February at $2.859. We filled up at this same spot a few days ago and paid $3.539 - a $0.68 increase! For the entire trip we averaged just over 7.2 miles per gallon. For those of you who have followed my trip statistics over the past 6 years or so - you will recognize this number. Winne has consistently averaged right around 7.2 MPG for all 80,000 of her miles. That's right - Winne passed the 80,000 mile mark the other day! This trip was right around 6,500 miles and the "pre-trip" back and forth to NJ was another 900 miles or so. Now that I'm home I guess I can say it - "Winne performed super for the entire trip." She may have lost her "towed" at one point - but that wasn't her fault. I guess she is fully broke-in now and working smoothly! I suppose she deserves a little rest, a good bath, and some new fluids. Then she'll be ready for another few thousand miles!
As for Peggy and I ... I think we will really enjoy our Topsham bed this evening!
Well it has been a fun trip. Not counting our first aborted attempt at leaving back in January - We have been gone for 71 days/nights - right at 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks we drove through 21 states and stayed overnight in 13 of those states in 23 different RV Parks/Campgrounds. Our longest single stay was 3 weeks at Rainbow Plantation in Alabama. Our most expensive overnight stop was at Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, NJ at $42 for the night - our least expensive stay was at the Rainbow Plantation at $15.70 per night. Our average nightly cost for an RV parking spot was $25.70 - pretty close to what we budgeted. I know we can travel cheaper than $25 per night, especially if we "camp" without hookups for a few nights here and there - but $25 a night is not too bad for full hookups most every night, cable TV for probably half the time, and a close-by laundry when we needed one.
When we left - gasoline was $3.179 here in Topsham. When we returned it was $3.799 - a $0.62 increase! The $3.799 fuel here at home was our most expensive fill-up! Our cheapest gas was in Wytheville, VA back in February at $2.859. We filled up at this same spot a few days ago and paid $3.539 - a $0.68 increase! For the entire trip we averaged just over 7.2 miles per gallon. For those of you who have followed my trip statistics over the past 6 years or so - you will recognize this number. Winne has consistently averaged right around 7.2 MPG for all 80,000 of her miles. That's right - Winne passed the 80,000 mile mark the other day! This trip was right around 6,500 miles and the "pre-trip" back and forth to NJ was another 900 miles or so. Now that I'm home I guess I can say it - "Winne performed super for the entire trip." She may have lost her "towed" at one point - but that wasn't her fault. I guess she is fully broke-in now and working smoothly! I suppose she deserves a little rest, a good bath, and some new fluids. Then she'll be ready for another few thousand miles!
As for Peggy and I ... I think we will really enjoy our Topsham bed this evening!
New England! - Sturbridge, MA
Not too much to add this morning. We drove from Lickdale, PA, through NY and CT to here in Sturbridge, MA. yesterday. We must be in New England - I can tell by the conditions of the roadways.
If all goes well this morning we should be home around 1 PM. Stacy informs us the furnace has been turned up, the hot water heater is on, and all is ready for our return.
It has been a successful and fun trip -- but home is looking pretty good. I know I have a zillion projects waiting for me once I get home - but home is looking pretty good anyway.
Stay tuned for the End of Trip Statistics to be included in our next post. I know it's everybodys favorite!
Have a Great April Day!
If all goes well this morning we should be home around 1 PM. Stacy informs us the furnace has been turned up, the hot water heater is on, and all is ready for our return.
It has been a successful and fun trip -- but home is looking pretty good. I know I have a zillion projects waiting for me once I get home - but home is looking pretty good anyway.
Stay tuned for the End of Trip Statistics to be included in our next post. I know it's everybodys favorite!
Have a Great April Day!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Observations - Lickdale, PA
Another gorgeous day today as we drove up I-81 through Virginia, tiny bits of West Virginia & Maryland, and into Pennsylvania - here to the Lickdale Campground in Lickdale, PA. It appears that our luck on the weather may be starting to turn as we will be outrunning some "unsettled" weather as we continue north on I-81 and then east on I-84 tomorrow.
Observation #1
There must be some inverse correlation between the average temperature and the price of gasoline! As we have driven north these past few days the temps have been noticeably cooler and the price of gas has been waaay noticeably higher. I thought it was pretty bad paying $3.55 per gallon for the last week - today the prices were all in the high $3.60s to mid $3.70s - whoa - what's up with that!
Observation #2
And then there is the sticker-shock of getting our cable TV going again at the house in Maine. It seems they changed all their "bundles" around while we were gone and now I have to pay about $15 more per month to get the channels I had before PLUS a bunch of new ones I really don't care about! Grrrrr.
I suppose being gone for a couple of months leads to selective memory loss. I have forgotten what a premium we pay for the privilege of living in the northeast!
Observation #3
I suppose I should be grateful that our federal legislative leaders avoided a big government shutdown this week by agreeing to not spend a few dollars that we never really had in the first place. Based on the numbers I've heard reported - we just saved about a half day's borrowing to finance the national deficit.
I'm all better now.
Observation #1
There must be some inverse correlation between the average temperature and the price of gasoline! As we have driven north these past few days the temps have been noticeably cooler and the price of gas has been waaay noticeably higher. I thought it was pretty bad paying $3.55 per gallon for the last week - today the prices were all in the high $3.60s to mid $3.70s - whoa - what's up with that!
Observation #2
And then there is the sticker-shock of getting our cable TV going again at the house in Maine. It seems they changed all their "bundles" around while we were gone and now I have to pay about $15 more per month to get the channels I had before PLUS a bunch of new ones I really don't care about! Grrrrr.
I suppose being gone for a couple of months leads to selective memory loss. I have forgotten what a premium we pay for the privilege of living in the northeast!
Observation #3
I suppose I should be grateful that our federal legislative leaders avoided a big government shutdown this week by agreeing to not spend a few dollars that we never really had in the first place. Based on the numbers I've heard reported - we just saved about a half day's borrowing to finance the national deficit.
I'm all better now.
Virginia - Staunton, VA
This will just be a short update to let everyone know that we are alive and well and still heading northeast. We arrived in Staunton, VA yesterday after an uneventful - yet blustery day. Virginia sure is pretty in the spring - the grass is greening, the red bud is budding, and the birds are chirping. But it sure is getting cold again! I think it's about 40 degrees out there - Brrr.
Today we will continue on up I-81. I'm not sure how far we'll get but I suspect it will be north of Harrisburg somewhere.
Se ya'll down the road!
Today we will continue on up I-81. I'm not sure how far we'll get but I suspect it will be north of Harrisburg somewhere.
Se ya'll down the road!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Closed the Loop - Bluff City, TN
Well we've closed the loop. Tonight we are staying at the Lakeview RV Park in Bluff City, TN. We also stayed here on our on way south - some 65 days and 4,250 miles ago! When we stayed here last - it was Super Bowl Sunday! What a difference a couple of months can make. The trees and grass are a lot greener now, gasoline cost 65 cents more per gallon now, and the snow has pretty much melted back home now.
I suppose we might as well go home! - So we will.
I figure we have about a thousand miles to go. At an average of 50 miles per hour we could be home in 20 driving hours. If we left at 4 AM tomorrow and I drove 10 hours and Peggy drove 10 hours we could be home on Wednesday. OK - that's not going to happen.
What if we drove 10 hours per day? We've done that before! We could be home on Thursday! I figure Peggy would mutiny around hour 9 on the first day - so that idea is out also.
How about 3 - 330 mile days. That's only about 3 days in a row of 7 hour driving days - we could do that and be home on Friday! We could - but we probably wouldn't speak to each other for at least two days after arriving home.
OK - how about we average 250 miles a day for four days. Now that sounds much more reasonable - so that looks like the plan.
See you Mainers on Saturday! (Unless we change our minds)
I suppose we might as well go home! - So we will.
I figure we have about a thousand miles to go. At an average of 50 miles per hour we could be home in 20 driving hours. If we left at 4 AM tomorrow and I drove 10 hours and Peggy drove 10 hours we could be home on Wednesday. OK - that's not going to happen.
What if we drove 10 hours per day? We've done that before! We could be home on Thursday! I figure Peggy would mutiny around hour 9 on the first day - so that idea is out also.
How about 3 - 330 mile days. That's only about 3 days in a row of 7 hour driving days - we could do that and be home on Friday! We could - but we probably wouldn't speak to each other for at least two days after arriving home.
OK - how about we average 250 miles a day for four days. Now that sounds much more reasonable - so that looks like the plan.
See you Mainers on Saturday! (Unless we change our minds)
Monday, April 11, 2011
It's All Darrell's Fault (again) - Lebanon, TN
OK - I admit it. I've been lazy and have not provided a post in a couple of days. But I have excuses! My internet connection has been flaky at best, it rained and thundered today, it was hot yesterday, I was playing with the Darrell & Judy's grandkids yesterday, I overslept today, and I had to bring the ice over for Margaritas the last two days. Yup that's it - its all Darrell's Fault!!
OK - no more goofing off. Tomorrow we hit the road again - heading east some more. We will probably make tomorrow a short driving day - only making it as far as Knoxville, TN.
Look out Eastern Daylight Time - here we come!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A Beautiful Spring Day - Lebanon, TN
Springtime in Tennessee - gotta love it. The trees are budding, the birds are tweeting, the squirrels are doing whatever it is squirrels do - beautiful day!
Peggy and I made the drive yesterday from West Memphis, AR - along I-40 - through Nashville, TN - and here to Cedars of Lebanon State Park Campground near Lebanon, TN. We rolled in around 3:30 PM and were immediately greeted with hugs from Darrell and Judy Patterson. It's nice to meet up with friends after a long travel day!
After a quick set up of the rig, and of course the traditional arrival martini - we joined Darrell and Judy for a drive to Murfreesboro to the early Saturday Evening Service at the World Outreach Church. Wow - what a place! - I understand that Mega-Church is the correct term. We also got to meet D&Js son Matthew, his bride Jackie, and three of their grandkids Catia, Kalina, and Radek. Those grandkids sure do seem to like G'ma and G'pa!
After church we made the drive back to Lebanon and had a nice dinner out at Demo's. A local - sorta chain restaurant. The food was really good, the service was excellent, and the conversation was even better.
It's a little early to tell - but I think we got a great night's sleep! Today is expected to be very nice - a bit warm for me at near 87 degrees - but a beautiful day. Look's like a fun day ahead.
Hope everbody else is enjoying a beautiful spring day - wherever you are!
Peggy and I made the drive yesterday from West Memphis, AR - along I-40 - through Nashville, TN - and here to Cedars of Lebanon State Park Campground near Lebanon, TN. We rolled in around 3:30 PM and were immediately greeted with hugs from Darrell and Judy Patterson. It's nice to meet up with friends after a long travel day!
After a quick set up of the rig, and of course the traditional arrival martini - we joined Darrell and Judy for a drive to Murfreesboro to the early Saturday Evening Service at the World Outreach Church. Wow - what a place! - I understand that Mega-Church is the correct term. We also got to meet D&Js son Matthew, his bride Jackie, and three of their grandkids Catia, Kalina, and Radek. Those grandkids sure do seem to like G'ma and G'pa!
After church we made the drive back to Lebanon and had a nice dinner out at Demo's. A local - sorta chain restaurant. The food was really good, the service was excellent, and the conversation was even better.
It's a little early to tell - but I think we got a great night's sleep! Today is expected to be very nice - a bit warm for me at near 87 degrees - but a beautiful day. Look's like a fun day ahead.
Hope everbody else is enjoying a beautiful spring day - wherever you are!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Ice is on the Way! - West Memphis, AR
Boy - what a difference a couple of days and several hundred miles can make. Two days ago we were in Oklahoma City in windy, dusty, ranch country. Most of our drive today was in the very pretty rolling Ozarks of Arkansas. Spring has definitely sprung here in this country. We drove across most of Arkansas today ending up here in West Memphis, Arkansas at Tom Sawyer's RV Park - right on the banks of the Mississippi. I mean it - we are parked about 20 yards from the Mississippi River which only a few days ago was flowing through where we are parked today. I understand that the RV Park just re-opened 3 days ago after being closed for a month due to flooding!!
After arriving here at Tom Sawyer's we did a few chores. Peggy took advantage of the free laundry here at the park - which even has brand new machines - on the second floor!! While Peggy was off on that chore I washed several days worth of bugs off the front of Winne. The green grass and leaves on the trees are not the only signs that we are out of the desert southwest!
After our chores - Peggy decided we needed some BBQ since we were this close to Memphis (and she didn't feel like cooking). We really didn't want to drive over the bridge into Memphis to visit Beale Street. We had some really great food there on our last visit a few years ago - but we wanted to try something closer. For those of you who have never visited West Memphis, AR - it is shall we say - "depressed." It doesn't look that great from the Interstate - and it gets a bit seedier as you travel further. But sometimes you find some really good places to eat in some "interesting places." Today was one of those days. We stopped at the RV Park Office on the way out and asked where to get some good local BBQ. The gal in the office offered 2 choices - one of which was Ray's BBQ. It was described as a hole-in-the-wall joint on the I-55 Service Road that mainly catered to the truck drivers.
So we found our way to Ray's World Famous Bar-B-Que which was in the middle of nowhere - but right off the Interstate. A very small place which looked like it had been there a verrrry long time. Small restaurant, about 4 tables, spots for about 4 cars and a large nearby lot where the 18 wheelers can and did park - with the food cooking in a small shack out back. I ordered the baby back ribs with BBQ beans and potato salad - Peggy had the ribs with BBQ Spaghetti and green beans for her sides. The food was pretty darn good! Not the best I've ever had - but pretty darn good!
So we have had a pretty full day! It's just about time to hit the hay and listen to the river barges drive by all night long - I feel a bit like ol' Huck Finn himself!!
Tomorrow we head east again - where we plan on meeting up with the Patterson's at Cedars of Lebanon State Park! Break out the Margarita Mix - the Ice is on the way!
After arriving here at Tom Sawyer's we did a few chores. Peggy took advantage of the free laundry here at the park - which even has brand new machines - on the second floor!! While Peggy was off on that chore I washed several days worth of bugs off the front of Winne. The green grass and leaves on the trees are not the only signs that we are out of the desert southwest!
After our chores - Peggy decided we needed some BBQ since we were this close to Memphis (and she didn't feel like cooking). We really didn't want to drive over the bridge into Memphis to visit Beale Street. We had some really great food there on our last visit a few years ago - but we wanted to try something closer. For those of you who have never visited West Memphis, AR - it is shall we say - "depressed." It doesn't look that great from the Interstate - and it gets a bit seedier as you travel further. But sometimes you find some really good places to eat in some "interesting places." Today was one of those days. We stopped at the RV Park Office on the way out and asked where to get some good local BBQ. The gal in the office offered 2 choices - one of which was Ray's BBQ. It was described as a hole-in-the-wall joint on the I-55 Service Road that mainly catered to the truck drivers.
So we found our way to Ray's World Famous Bar-B-Que which was in the middle of nowhere - but right off the Interstate. A very small place which looked like it had been there a verrrry long time. Small restaurant, about 4 tables, spots for about 4 cars and a large nearby lot where the 18 wheelers can and did park - with the food cooking in a small shack out back. I ordered the baby back ribs with BBQ beans and potato salad - Peggy had the ribs with BBQ Spaghetti and green beans for her sides. The food was pretty darn good! Not the best I've ever had - but pretty darn good!
So we have had a pretty full day! It's just about time to hit the hay and listen to the river barges drive by all night long - I feel a bit like ol' Huck Finn himself!!
Tomorrow we head east again - where we plan on meeting up with the Patterson's at Cedars of Lebanon State Park! Break out the Margarita Mix - the Ice is on the way!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
On-The-Road-Again - Ft Smith, AR
I started off the day with a trip to the Oklahoma City Bob Moore Cadillac/GM dealership body shop arriving right around 9:00 AM. Fortunately they were ready for my arrival and pulled the Vue in to the shop promptly. About two hours later they had the front end parts replaced and I was driving back to the RV Park. Since it was still relatively early in the day we decided to hitch up the Vue and hit the road heading East. All was going pretty well until we tested the turn signals/brake lights on the Vue. For some reason the body shop's installers had removed the "trailer" light connector I previously installed and in the process, miswired the lights. It took me about a half hour to figure out what had been done and get it fixed before we could roll out of the Rockwell RV Park.
After a quick trip to the local Flying J to pay $3.55 per gallon for gasoline ($3.53 with the RV Discount) - we were off again driving through OKC and heading east. We both felt it was past time to be leaving Oklahoma City!
Since we got a relatively late start to the day we only drove about 200 miles and landed near Fort Smith, AR for the evening. Fortunately the wind was better today and our driving day was once again, uneventful. I did find myself looking more often at the back-up monitor to check on the Vue - but all was good.
Our short term goal is to make it to near Memphis, TN tomorrow and then on to Lebanon, TN on Saturday. We plan on stopping there for a couple of days to catch our breath and visit with our RV buddies Darrell and Judy who are there visiting their kids/grandkids.
It's good to be "on-the-road-again."
After a quick trip to the local Flying J to pay $3.55 per gallon for gasoline ($3.53 with the RV Discount) - we were off again driving through OKC and heading east. We both felt it was past time to be leaving Oklahoma City!
Since we got a relatively late start to the day we only drove about 200 miles and landed near Fort Smith, AR for the evening. Fortunately the wind was better today and our driving day was once again, uneventful. I did find myself looking more often at the back-up monitor to check on the Vue - but all was good.
Our short term goal is to make it to near Memphis, TN tomorrow and then on to Lebanon, TN on Saturday. We plan on stopping there for a couple of days to catch our breath and visit with our RV buddies Darrell and Judy who are there visiting their kids/grandkids.
It's good to be "on-the-road-again."
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Potpourri - Oklahoma City, OK
Item #1 on today's potpourri of blog entry items is an update on our car repairs. We called the body shop around noon today and although the paint work is done and we could have gotten most of the required pieces installed today - a couple of parts had yet to arrive. So we decided to wait until tomorrow to get the car repairs done. Today would have been nice - but we might as well get the Whole Job done tomorrow. We did manage a short trip to the UPS store and got the old base plate shipped back to Blue Ox. That should help get the claim approval process completed faster! I also got the "break-away" switch reinstalled and ready for towing. All we need now is "a new front end."
Item #2 is an update on our experience with Verizon Wireless's 4G service. One of the nice things about being stranded here in Oklahoma City is that it already has Verizon Wireless 4G Service. Our normal 3G Speed is around 1 Mb/s on download and .3 Mb/s on upload. Here in OKC and operating through our Cradlepoint router with no external antenna hooked up we are getting about 5 Mb/s on download and 5 Mb/s on upload. A definite improvement - especially on upload. The curious thing is that if I plug the modem directly into the computer and not use the router I can get around 18 Mb/s download and 5 MB/s on upload. I wonder why? I think maybe I'll ask the Cradlepoint folks - they might know. Regardless - it will be nice to see 4G service nationwide as soon as possible!
Item #3 has to do with paying federal and state income taxes. I submitted our income tax returns to the federal government and to the state of New York on March 13th. I even filed these returns electronically to help save these government agencies time and manpower - and to hopefully save me tax money in the future. The federal government was quick to return the extra money I had provided them in 2010. 12 days from filing to money in my bank, including a weekend, is not all that bad. Of course the feds don't really need the extra money they took from me - they can simply operate in a deficit for as long as we'll let them. The state of New York however is a different story. With the exception of the state of California, I believe the state of New York is in the worst financial position of all states. Tens of Billions in the red last I heard. That must be the reason they have decided to keep my money for a couple weeks longer than the feds. I checked today online. They have received and processed my return weeks ago - we agree on the amount to be refunded - but I must wait until the 13th of April to receive my refund. Why? Because they can!
What about the state of Maine you say! Well the good ol' state of Maine apparently has a higher tax rate than the state of New York since they want more money than I already paid New York! I suppose I should have paid the state of Maine the few hundred dollars I owe them when I calculated the required amount last month. But I think I'll wait until the last minute - because I can!
Item #2 is an update on our experience with Verizon Wireless's 4G service. One of the nice things about being stranded here in Oklahoma City is that it already has Verizon Wireless 4G Service. Our normal 3G Speed is around 1 Mb/s on download and .3 Mb/s on upload. Here in OKC and operating through our Cradlepoint router with no external antenna hooked up we are getting about 5 Mb/s on download and 5 Mb/s on upload. A definite improvement - especially on upload. The curious thing is that if I plug the modem directly into the computer and not use the router I can get around 18 Mb/s download and 5 MB/s on upload. I wonder why? I think maybe I'll ask the Cradlepoint folks - they might know. Regardless - it will be nice to see 4G service nationwide as soon as possible!
Item #3 has to do with paying federal and state income taxes. I submitted our income tax returns to the federal government and to the state of New York on March 13th. I even filed these returns electronically to help save these government agencies time and manpower - and to hopefully save me tax money in the future. The federal government was quick to return the extra money I had provided them in 2010. 12 days from filing to money in my bank, including a weekend, is not all that bad. Of course the feds don't really need the extra money they took from me - they can simply operate in a deficit for as long as we'll let them. The state of New York however is a different story. With the exception of the state of California, I believe the state of New York is in the worst financial position of all states. Tens of Billions in the red last I heard. That must be the reason they have decided to keep my money for a couple weeks longer than the feds. I checked today online. They have received and processed my return weeks ago - we agree on the amount to be refunded - but I must wait until the 13th of April to receive my refund. Why? Because they can!
What about the state of Maine you say! Well the good ol' state of Maine apparently has a higher tax rate than the state of New York since they want more money than I already paid New York! I suppose I should have paid the state of Maine the few hundred dollars I owe them when I calculated the required amount last month. But I think I'll wait until the last minute - because I can!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Another Successful Day - Oklahoma City, OK
This morning we said our "see-ya-down-the-roads" to Gene and Judi as they set off to continue their trek westward. We had a real fun mid-trip visit with the Curps - in spite of our TOAD issues.
Speaking of our Towed (Toad) issues - we made more good progress today. I repaired the wiring for one of the fog lamps, the "trailer" connector, and the brake-away switch this morning. Around 1:30 PM we got a call from the local Blue Ox dealer, Kjelshus R.V. Service Center Inc - located right here off Exit 143 on I-40 - informing us that the new base plate had just arrived! Within 15 minutes I was at Kjelshus, the Vue was immediately pulled in to the service bay, and the new base plate was installed within an hour. Of course it was a bit easier than most installations since the front fascia was already off and the holes for the base plate were already drilled - but the installer did a nice job. He was careful to put loctite on all the bolts and used a torque wrench for final tightening - just like your supposed to. Nice professional job!
I was also glad to see that the new base plate had improved gusseting in the critical stress area where the original one broke. They also modified the design to include installation of permanent safety cables between the base plate and the car frame. This was another feature missing on the previous model!
If you are ever in OKC and in need of RV repairs I highly recommend you call Gary at Kjelshus RV Service. He is an independent Service Center and just down the road about one block from the Camping World - also located at Exit 143.
So Repair #1 is complete. I checked with the dealership body shop today and it looks like they will be ready for Repair #2 - replacing all the front end parts - tomorrow afternoon.
I truly do love it when a plan comes together!!
Peggy and I boxed up the old base plate this afternoon and I will be mailing it to Blue Ox tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see how this all works out - but we still have high expectations for full reimbursement.
Yessiree - another successful day.
Speaking of our Towed (Toad) issues - we made more good progress today. I repaired the wiring for one of the fog lamps, the "trailer" connector, and the brake-away switch this morning. Around 1:30 PM we got a call from the local Blue Ox dealer, Kjelshus R.V. Service Center Inc - located right here off Exit 143 on I-40 - informing us that the new base plate had just arrived! Within 15 minutes I was at Kjelshus, the Vue was immediately pulled in to the service bay, and the new base plate was installed within an hour. Of course it was a bit easier than most installations since the front fascia was already off and the holes for the base plate were already drilled - but the installer did a nice job. He was careful to put loctite on all the bolts and used a torque wrench for final tightening - just like your supposed to. Nice professional job!
I was also glad to see that the new base plate had improved gusseting in the critical stress area where the original one broke. They also modified the design to include installation of permanent safety cables between the base plate and the car frame. This was another feature missing on the previous model!
If you are ever in OKC and in need of RV repairs I highly recommend you call Gary at Kjelshus RV Service. He is an independent Service Center and just down the road about one block from the Camping World - also located at Exit 143.
So Repair #1 is complete. I checked with the dealership body shop today and it looks like they will be ready for Repair #2 - replacing all the front end parts - tomorrow afternoon.
I truly do love it when a plan comes together!!
Peggy and I boxed up the old base plate this afternoon and I will be mailing it to Blue Ox tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see how this all works out - but we still have high expectations for full reimbursement.
Yessiree - another successful day.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Early Successes - Oklahoma City, OK
Today was pretty successful.
Early this morning I got a call from the Blue Ox Customer Service Rep informing me that they had located a new base plate and that it was being shipped to a local (OKC) Blue Ox dealer who was also on the line. The new base plate should arrive tomorrow - and if it arrives early enough I may be able to have it installed by the end of the business day. Success #1
Shortly after this success Peggy and I visited a local GM dealership that specializes in Cadillacs but also carries Saturn parts. After confirming that they have most of the parts I need "in stock" - and that those that are not in stock can be available within a day - we went to visit the dealership body shop. After discussing the situation with the body shop manager - they are pretty confident that they can have the parts painted (the one piece that needs painting) and all the parts ready to be installed in two days. So with that info - we ordered the parts necessary and released the body shop to start the paint work.
So if everything goes really well ...
We get the new base plate on tomorrow (Tuesday)
We get the Vue's front end replaced on the next day (Wednesday)
Adding another day for a couple of things to go not-so-well and the Vue may be ready by Thursday and we can hit the road again on Friday! I'll be amazed if it all works that well - but we now have a goal in sight!
And even better news - although Blue Ox wants to see the failed base plate before they commit - it looks like they will be reimbursing all direct costs. I'll wait until the check is in-hand to sing their praises - but so far - so good.
But the best success of the day was having a great dinner and visit with Gene & Judy Curp here at the Winne this evening. They will be continuing their journey west and then north tomorrow. We sure did enjoy having friends around these last few days as we had to work through a few unpleasant travel issues - it sure made coping a much better experience!
Safe Travels Curps - Be sure and tell those Alaskans Hi from us Maineiacs!
Early this morning I got a call from the Blue Ox Customer Service Rep informing me that they had located a new base plate and that it was being shipped to a local (OKC) Blue Ox dealer who was also on the line. The new base plate should arrive tomorrow - and if it arrives early enough I may be able to have it installed by the end of the business day. Success #1
Shortly after this success Peggy and I visited a local GM dealership that specializes in Cadillacs but also carries Saturn parts. After confirming that they have most of the parts I need "in stock" - and that those that are not in stock can be available within a day - we went to visit the dealership body shop. After discussing the situation with the body shop manager - they are pretty confident that they can have the parts painted (the one piece that needs painting) and all the parts ready to be installed in two days. So with that info - we ordered the parts necessary and released the body shop to start the paint work.
So if everything goes really well ...
We get the new base plate on tomorrow (Tuesday)
We get the Vue's front end replaced on the next day (Wednesday)
Adding another day for a couple of things to go not-so-well and the Vue may be ready by Thursday and we can hit the road again on Friday! I'll be amazed if it all works that well - but we now have a goal in sight!
And even better news - although Blue Ox wants to see the failed base plate before they commit - it looks like they will be reimbursing all direct costs. I'll wait until the check is in-hand to sing their praises - but so far - so good.
But the best success of the day was having a great dinner and visit with Gene & Judy Curp here at the Winne this evening. They will be continuing their journey west and then north tomorrow. We sure did enjoy having friends around these last few days as we had to work through a few unpleasant travel issues - it sure made coping a much better experience!
Safe Travels Curps - Be sure and tell those Alaskans Hi from us Maineiacs!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Forensics - Oklahoma City, OK
The weather today in OKC was hot, windy, and dusty. We pretty much stayed close to home most of today although we did wonder off to WalMart to pick up a few needed items - but other than that we just caught up on "stuff" and got in a short visit with Gene and Judi.
I did spend about an hour or so getting a head start on replacing the towing base plate and doing further investigation into the cause of the failure. I started by removing the base plate attachment brackets that were still attached to the Vue. Each bracket is bolted onto the frame with three bolts with nuts on the inside of the frame rail that are almost impossible to reach with a wrench. I know - I put them on originally and they were a real pain to install. I remember saying to myself then - "I hope I never have to take these off!" It didn't take me long to decide that trying to take these bolts off the conventional way was going to be fruitless - these bolts needed to be cut off! So I broke out my handy dandy Dremel tool and about 6 cut-off wheels and went to work. This was definitely the way to go - it only took about an hour and both brackets were off. This is the first trip I have brought the Dremel tool/kit along - from now on "I won't leave home without it!"
By taking the brackets off I was able to get a better look at how the base plate failed. The passenger side bracket was the first to go. You can see that the bracket itself failed without bending - right behind the weld. I'm not a metallurgist but have done a bit of welding in my day and it appears to me that the metal next to the weld was weakened in the welding process and became the failure point.
The bracket on the drivers side broke at the same point but it is pretty obvious that it failed after bending due to the failure on the other side.
I did spend about an hour or so getting a head start on replacing the towing base plate and doing further investigation into the cause of the failure. I started by removing the base plate attachment brackets that were still attached to the Vue. Each bracket is bolted onto the frame with three bolts with nuts on the inside of the frame rail that are almost impossible to reach with a wrench. I know - I put them on originally and they were a real pain to install. I remember saying to myself then - "I hope I never have to take these off!" It didn't take me long to decide that trying to take these bolts off the conventional way was going to be fruitless - these bolts needed to be cut off! So I broke out my handy dandy Dremel tool and about 6 cut-off wheels and went to work. This was definitely the way to go - it only took about an hour and both brackets were off. This is the first trip I have brought the Dremel tool/kit along - from now on "I won't leave home without it!"
By taking the brackets off I was able to get a better look at how the base plate failed. The passenger side bracket was the first to go. You can see that the bracket itself failed without bending - right behind the weld. I'm not a metallurgist but have done a bit of welding in my day and it appears to me that the metal next to the weld was weakened in the welding process and became the failure point.
The bracket on the drivers side broke at the same point but it is pretty obvious that it failed after bending due to the failure on the other side.
So - all I need now is a new one (and hopefully better designed/constructed) to install and we can start getting the Vue back together for our trip home. Let's all think good thoughts that Blue Ox can get a new one headed my way tomorrow!
Progress - Oklahoma City, OK
Although today is Saturday - and most businesses are closed - I thought I would attempt to make some progress on getting the Vue repairs underway. Actually - we have 2 repairs to accomplish. Repair #1 is to get the towing base plate replaced. Without that repair it is going to be a long drive back to Maine with Peggy driving one vehicle and me the other. That option just won't do!
The second repair is to get the Vue front end looking like a car again. We could survive driving it the way it is but if we can get both repairs done next week - I figure we might as well.
"Blue Ox" is the manufacturer of our towing equipment. I have been generally impressed with our Blue Ox equipment to date - although yesterday's experience does give me some concern. Although I didn't think it would do much good until Monday - I sent an e-mail to the Blue Ox Company last night explaining that I had experienced a failure of their towing equipment and needed their help obtaining a replacement. Much to my surprise I got a call today from a Blue Ox Representative who is going to work on finding a new replacement (they do not have one in stock at their factory) and get it to me as soon as possible. She also indicated that they wanted the failed pieces returned and that although she made no promises (I'm sure her company attorneys would cringe if she did) - they would more than likely cover the costs of the new base plate and car repairs. So far so good - we'll have to wait until Monday to find out more - but that's the kind of response I was hoping for!
I also called a local GM dealership parts department and found out that they have almost all of the parts I will need in stock - and the few they don't have - they can get in a day. Also good news.
So ... Monday I will go visit the dealership and see what I need to do to obtain all the needed parts - and although I could probably do the installation myself - I'll see if I can make arrangements to get the paint work and installation done there for a reasonable cost.
Not bad progress for a few phone calls on a Saturday - but we still have a lot of "things" that need to come together - and hopefully quickly.
We spent the rest of the day playing tourist with the Curps - visiting the Cowboy Museum, having a bite of lunch with the Curps at a local Mexican food eatery, and then enjoying cocktail hour with - guess who - the Curps!
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
The second repair is to get the Vue front end looking like a car again. We could survive driving it the way it is but if we can get both repairs done next week - I figure we might as well.
"Blue Ox" is the manufacturer of our towing equipment. I have been generally impressed with our Blue Ox equipment to date - although yesterday's experience does give me some concern. Although I didn't think it would do much good until Monday - I sent an e-mail to the Blue Ox Company last night explaining that I had experienced a failure of their towing equipment and needed their help obtaining a replacement. Much to my surprise I got a call today from a Blue Ox Representative who is going to work on finding a new replacement (they do not have one in stock at their factory) and get it to me as soon as possible. She also indicated that they wanted the failed pieces returned and that although she made no promises (I'm sure her company attorneys would cringe if she did) - they would more than likely cover the costs of the new base plate and car repairs. So far so good - we'll have to wait until Monday to find out more - but that's the kind of response I was hoping for!
I also called a local GM dealership parts department and found out that they have almost all of the parts I will need in stock - and the few they don't have - they can get in a day. Also good news.
So ... Monday I will go visit the dealership and see what I need to do to obtain all the needed parts - and although I could probably do the installation myself - I'll see if I can make arrangements to get the paint work and installation done there for a reasonable cost.
Not bad progress for a few phone calls on a Saturday - but we still have a lot of "things" that need to come together - and hopefully quickly.
We spent the rest of the day playing tourist with the Curps - visiting the Cowboy Museum, having a bite of lunch with the Curps at a local Mexican food eatery, and then enjoying cocktail hour with - guess who - the Curps!
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Oops - Oklahoma City, OK
So ... there we were - cruising along I-40, heading east, about 40 or so miles west of Oklahoma City, OK - our destination for the day - beautiful day - all systems GO.
Since we had been driving for a couple of hours without a stretch - Peggy suggests, and I agree, that we ought to pull off and stretch a little. Since there were no rest areas nearby we decide to pull off at a "Love's" Truck Stop - so we did.
After a short stretch we fire up the Winne and start heading back to I-40. As we make the left hand turn leaving the Love's I hear a "noise" on the Back-Up Camera Speaker and glance down at the Back-Up Camera Monitor. Wait a minute - that ain't right!!
What I see has got to be one of the worst nightmares a motorhome driver can have. The Tow Bar baseplate is breaking loose from the Vue and pulling the whole front fascia off with it!!
I'm only doing about 20 mph at this time and I start moving over to the shoulder and coming to a stop. About the time I'm almost stopped - the Vue totally separates from the Winne and continues going to the right - just barely missing the rear of the Winne! Since the baseplate had failed and was no longer attached to the car - and since the safety cables and "break away" switch for the Vue's auxiliary braking system were attached to the baseplate - the aux brake system could not actuate and the Vue was free to roll!
About the time I get Winne stopped - I see the Vue out the passenger window rolling through a gully and then across a grassy area towards a short brick landscaping retaining wall. Fortunately - the Vue is only slowly rolling when it hits the wall and is stopped before it continues towards a nearby new mobile home on display.
So let's review where we are now. The Winne is stopped on the shoulder of the road - emergency flashers on. The crossbar for the towing baseplate as well as the front fascia/grill of the Vue is still attached to the tow bar laying on the pavement behind the Winne. The Vue is about 50 yards away - up against a retaining wall. Nobody is hurt. The Winne is undamaged
Now What? Well - I exit the Winne, jog over to the Vue, see that there is no damage that would prevent driving it, remove the aux brake system, start 'er up and drive back to the road behind the Winne. After Peggy and I gathered up all our spare parts from the roadway and stowed them in the Vue - she drove the Vue and I drove Winne back onto I-40 and we finished up our trip to Oklahoma City.
We are now parked here at the Rockwell RV Park west of OKC - and parked right next to Gene and Judi Curp - who seemed adequately impressed by our Saturn customizing expertise! In spite of all our afternoon excitement (or because of it) we got set up and then visited with Gene & Judi who were kind enough to share some of their Cosmopolitans with me - after which we all drove over to Applebee's where we enjoyed a nice dinner, more conversation - and Judi and I enjoyed a couple of "Perfect Margaritas."
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga of Mikee and his "front end challenged" Toad. Be sure and see how Mikee gets himself out of this situation!
Since we had been driving for a couple of hours without a stretch - Peggy suggests, and I agree, that we ought to pull off and stretch a little. Since there were no rest areas nearby we decide to pull off at a "Love's" Truck Stop - so we did.
After a short stretch we fire up the Winne and start heading back to I-40. As we make the left hand turn leaving the Love's I hear a "noise" on the Back-Up Camera Speaker and glance down at the Back-Up Camera Monitor. Wait a minute - that ain't right!!
What I see has got to be one of the worst nightmares a motorhome driver can have. The Tow Bar baseplate is breaking loose from the Vue and pulling the whole front fascia off with it!!
I'm only doing about 20 mph at this time and I start moving over to the shoulder and coming to a stop. About the time I'm almost stopped - the Vue totally separates from the Winne and continues going to the right - just barely missing the rear of the Winne! Since the baseplate had failed and was no longer attached to the car - and since the safety cables and "break away" switch for the Vue's auxiliary braking system were attached to the baseplate - the aux brake system could not actuate and the Vue was free to roll!
About the time I get Winne stopped - I see the Vue out the passenger window rolling through a gully and then across a grassy area towards a short brick landscaping retaining wall. Fortunately - the Vue is only slowly rolling when it hits the wall and is stopped before it continues towards a nearby new mobile home on display.
So let's review where we are now. The Winne is stopped on the shoulder of the road - emergency flashers on. The crossbar for the towing baseplate as well as the front fascia/grill of the Vue is still attached to the tow bar laying on the pavement behind the Winne. The Vue is about 50 yards away - up against a retaining wall. Nobody is hurt. The Winne is undamaged
Now What? Well - I exit the Winne, jog over to the Vue, see that there is no damage that would prevent driving it, remove the aux brake system, start 'er up and drive back to the road behind the Winne. After Peggy and I gathered up all our spare parts from the roadway and stowed them in the Vue - she drove the Vue and I drove Winne back onto I-40 and we finished up our trip to Oklahoma City.
We are now parked here at the Rockwell RV Park west of OKC - and parked right next to Gene and Judi Curp - who seemed adequately impressed by our Saturn customizing expertise! In spite of all our afternoon excitement (or because of it) we got set up and then visited with Gene & Judi who were kind enough to share some of their Cosmopolitans with me - after which we all drove over to Applebee's where we enjoyed a nice dinner, more conversation - and Judi and I enjoyed a couple of "Perfect Margaritas."
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga of Mikee and his "front end challenged" Toad. Be sure and see how Mikee gets himself out of this situation!
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