Well here we sit -- Five days and a-wake-up before we are scheduled to head out for a few months. The stix and bricks house organizing and cleaning is pretty much done. The rolling house maintenance and system checkouts are almost all done. And most of the pre-trip loading of "stuff" we take with us but bring into the S&B house when we are home has been returned to their Winne locations. We still have several items that will wait to be loaded until the last day before leaving ... but that list is pretty small. We have done this enough times now that we are getting pretty good at it. I will say that leaving in nice weather is a whole lot easier than trying to get everything done in mid-February in Maine!
With 5 days left to prepare we should have plenty of time to finish up what needs to be done and be ready to roll at oh-dark-thirty next Thursday.
In between finishing the last minute preparations we have a birthday party to attend for Miss Taylor! Her second birthday is actually next Wednesday but her party will be tomorrow afternoon. It should be a fun time watching her turn the big TWO and watching her cousin Sophie turn 2 1/2 months!
Now that we are right next to heading on a 8,000 mile trip in a vehicle that gets a bit over 7 miles per gallon - I see that the price of gasoline is going up again. Some will blame that on "unrest in the middle east." I figure "they" know I'm about to buy a thousand gallons of gas and "they" want more than their fair share while I'm doing it. Oh well ... it's the price I choose to pay for the joy of traveling America one mile at a time in a rolling house.
Speaking of "they" ... Who the heck is it that keeps telling our government that we need more of their help? Based on my personal observations, the more help we seem to get - the worse off we tend to get. I know "they" think we need to be protected from ourselves in every aspect of our everyday lives - but really? -- Do you think more laws protecting us from fast food, sugary drinks, and conservative thinking is what we need? Or how about regulations that drive up the cost of everything we buy? Is that what we need from those we elect? I guess so ... we tend to keep electing them!?
Once again -- we are about to take off on a great adventure - driving across America while wondering if our Government will decide to "shutdown" because we have run out of money and can't borrow any more. It seems to me that this happens every time I head out on a trip! Didn't we solve this the last three times? Oh -- I remember now "they" kicked the can the last three times. Perhaps a government shutdown is what's needed.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Eight and A-Wake-Up
Peggy and I have slowly continued our preparations for hitting the road next week. Peggy has been organizing and cleaning around the house and I have been loading a few things into Winne and taking care of a few more little projects and one relatively involved project - but more on that later.
Last Friday we received a message from RVers Paul and Margery Zeller who have been traveling through Maine and had just landed at the Fairgrounds here in Topsham. Although I think we may have met Paul and Margery during one of our past trips to Alabama - We certainly hadn't spent much time visiting with them except perhaps to share a comment or two on a blog post or two. Somehow the subject of meeting for a bite of Maine seafood came up during one of those conversations and the next thing you know we were visiting them at the fairgrounds, meeting their furry fellow traveler "Freeway," and then sharing a pretty good seafood dinner at Len's Fish and Chips in Brunswick. We had a nice visit and found out that we have many of the same RV experiences - including having a 2006 Vue come loose from behind our respective motorhomes! It appears both Paul and Margery are enjoying their visit to Maine and they have plenty of sightseeing lined up over the next week as they see the sights of the Mid-Coast. It was great to meet you both and hope the rest of your stay goes well!
The highlight of our Saturday was a visit from Eric, Jen, and Sophie. Even better than that ... Peggy and I got to Sophie-Sit while Eric and Jen went out to lunch and otherwise goofed off for a few hours. Sophie did what Sophie does .... she played on her Activity Mat Thingy (I'm sure those things have a better name but that's the best I can come with at the moment!), she ate, she slept, and then she played some more.
Sunday was yet another beautiful late summer day here in Maine. Peggy continued her house organizing/cleaning after returning from church and I decided to attack a project I have been contemplating for a few years now. Most RVs have a screen door at the entrance - but very few (including ours) have the capability to add "storm windows" to the screen door. We really don't need storm windows as such but we have often thought that it would be nice to be able to have the main door open letting in more light while having the screen door shut but keeping the air conditioned (cooled or heated) air inside. I have seen several RVs where the owner has added acrylic or lexan windows over the screens for this purpose - including our RV friends the Pattersons. When visiting Paul and Margery the other day I noticed that they had also installed this modification. Sooo ... it was off to Lowes on Sunday morning for a piece of Lexan. After carefully measuring and cutting the two window pieces I needed and installing some weatherstripping and some simple storm door clips ... viola ... "storm" windows that can easily removed when we feel the need for more outside air - yet can be quickly installed to keep the inside air -- inside. Yet another successful Winne customizing touch!
Today Winne was scheduled for her annual safety inspection required by the State of Maine - so we got that taken care of relatively early this morning. Then it was time to activate Winne's satellite TV service and get that checked out. I'll keep a long story short by simply saying that it took several hours and several phone calls to Dish Technical Support to get it all working the way it's supposed to. Sometimes this re-activation process prior to our trips goes very smoothly and sometimes "not." Today was a "not." The good news is I got it done when I had plenty of time and wasn't trying to deal with barely competent tech support people after having just driven several hundred miles and while missing an "important" sporting event or some TV show that I really wanted to see!
Eight and a-wake-up ...
Last Friday we received a message from RVers Paul and Margery Zeller who have been traveling through Maine and had just landed at the Fairgrounds here in Topsham. Although I think we may have met Paul and Margery during one of our past trips to Alabama - We certainly hadn't spent much time visiting with them except perhaps to share a comment or two on a blog post or two. Somehow the subject of meeting for a bite of Maine seafood came up during one of those conversations and the next thing you know we were visiting them at the fairgrounds, meeting their furry fellow traveler "Freeway," and then sharing a pretty good seafood dinner at Len's Fish and Chips in Brunswick. We had a nice visit and found out that we have many of the same RV experiences - including having a 2006 Vue come loose from behind our respective motorhomes! It appears both Paul and Margery are enjoying their visit to Maine and they have plenty of sightseeing lined up over the next week as they see the sights of the Mid-Coast. It was great to meet you both and hope the rest of your stay goes well!
The highlight of our Saturday was a visit from Eric, Jen, and Sophie. Even better than that ... Peggy and I got to Sophie-Sit while Eric and Jen went out to lunch and otherwise goofed off for a few hours. Sophie did what Sophie does .... she played on her Activity Mat Thingy (I'm sure those things have a better name but that's the best I can come with at the moment!), she ate, she slept, and then she played some more.
Sunday was yet another beautiful late summer day here in Maine. Peggy continued her house organizing/cleaning after returning from church and I decided to attack a project I have been contemplating for a few years now. Most RVs have a screen door at the entrance - but very few (including ours) have the capability to add "storm windows" to the screen door. We really don't need storm windows as such but we have often thought that it would be nice to be able to have the main door open letting in more light while having the screen door shut but keeping the air conditioned (cooled or heated) air inside. I have seen several RVs where the owner has added acrylic or lexan windows over the screens for this purpose - including our RV friends the Pattersons. When visiting Paul and Margery the other day I noticed that they had also installed this modification. Sooo ... it was off to Lowes on Sunday morning for a piece of Lexan. After carefully measuring and cutting the two window pieces I needed and installing some weatherstripping and some simple storm door clips ... viola ... "storm" windows that can easily removed when we feel the need for more outside air - yet can be quickly installed to keep the inside air -- inside. Yet another successful Winne customizing touch!
Today Winne was scheduled for her annual safety inspection required by the State of Maine - so we got that taken care of relatively early this morning. Then it was time to activate Winne's satellite TV service and get that checked out. I'll keep a long story short by simply saying that it took several hours and several phone calls to Dish Technical Support to get it all working the way it's supposed to. Sometimes this re-activation process prior to our trips goes very smoothly and sometimes "not." Today was a "not." The good news is I got it done when I had plenty of time and wasn't trying to deal with barely competent tech support people after having just driven several hundred miles and while missing an "important" sporting event or some TV show that I really wanted to see!
Eight and a-wake-up ...
Thursday, August 22, 2013
East To West Plans
I finally finished off all the planned maintenance chores on Winne. The steps are painted and the refrigerator ignitor is replaced. Now it's time to move on to getting all the stuff that needs to be loaded - loaded into the correct spot.
We try to leave as much "stuff" that we need when we travel loaded all the time but some things are also needed around the house and some things just store better in a temperature controlled environment. Over the years I have developed a list of stuff that needs to be loaded prior to a trip and I have started to work on that list. In spite of the list - we always seem to forget something.
With only 13 days and a wake-up before we roll west we also have to get in some time with our Maine kids and grandkids. We have some gramma and papa time scheduled with Miss Sophie this weekend and then next weekend we have some Taylor time on tap during and after her birthday party. Yep - that's right ... Miss Taylor is about to turn 2 years old! Hard to believe!
The main purpose of our upcoming trip out west is to visit with my mom (Nan) and perhaps give my older sister Marcie and her family a break from their caregiver duties. As many of you know - being a full time caregiver to an elderly relative is a tough job. Marcie and her husband Don have done a great job this past year under some tough circumstances. We are looking forward to the visit.
We are also looking forward to taking some "extra" time along the way to see a few places we haven't seen before and enjoy again some places we have already experienced. We don't have a lot of time to play tourist since we need to get back home before the snow flakes fly - but we hope to take a bit more leisurely trip than it seems we have taken the last few times.
I am also going to try driving less miles per day than we have in the past. On most of our previous trips out west we have tended to drive about 300+ miles per day. Except for a few stretches - I am hoping to keep that closer to 200 to 250 miles per day on this trip. I know Peggy will appreciate the slower pace - and I suspect I will as well.
So what new places are we planning to see? We have driven most of the major routes going East-West, some several times, over these past 8 or so years so we have seen most of the countryside along the major interstates. Although I enjoy driving the "backroads" of America from time to time - I tend to stick to the major interstates when we are trying to "make-miles." We have driven the I-80 route way too many times so we tend to avoid that route when we can. It is still the fastest route to go where we tend to go ... but I've seen that corn before!
For the Eastern Third of the trip I am planning on taking I-90 through Massachusetts and into NY ... but then traveling West along I-88 and I-86 through southern NY avoiding the NY thruway and its tolls. We have driven this route once before when we were doing some genealogy research several years ago and I recall "most" of that route to be RV friendly. Once we hit Lake Erie we will follow I-90 to Cleveland and then take I-80 into Indiana. We hope to spend a few days in Indiana around Shipshewana and then finish off what I call "the Eastern Third" by continuing west past Chicago on I-80. Yes - I know ... I will have to pay the Indiana and Illinois tolls and I will have to navigate through the Chicago traffic but I just want to get through this section in the fastest time practical.
Once we make it west of Chicago I consider our trip to be into the "MidWestern Third." For this part of the trip I plan on heading up to I-90 and seeing some country we haven't seen before. On our way up to I-90 we plan on taking Winne back to her birthplace in Forest City, Iowa. Why? Well for no particular purpose other than to go there - take the factory tour - and then continue on our way. Once we turn west on I-90 our short term destination will be the Black Hills area of South Dakota. We have driven part of that route before but the portion in Minnesota and eastern South Dakota will be new for us. We made a brief stop in the Black Hills back in 2005 on our first long trip with Winne - we enjoyed the area and are looking forward to being there again for a few days.
Once we leave the Black Hills heading west we will be entering the final "Western Third" of the trip. The stretch of I-90 between Rapid City, SD and Billings, MT will be new to us as well. We are hoping to get in some sightseeing at Devils Tower and the Little Bighorn Battlefield along the way. From Billings we are planning to continue along I-90 and then enter Yellowstone National Park from the north. We have been to Yellowstone many times in the past - and always enjoy the scenery and wildlife. We don't plan on spending much time in Yellowstone on this trip since we hope to spend a few days taking in the scenery at some special places in Utah. So we will continue through YNP and down into our old stomping grounds of Idaho Falls, ID on our way further south into Utah. Once we arrive in Utah we have some real decisions to make. We will only have a few days before we will need to be heading to Nevada and there are at least a month of places to see! We still have several weeks and a couple thousand miles to make those decisions - why hurry?
The final leg of our Western Third will be along US 50 A.K.A - "The Loneliest Road in America." Actually this is a pretty nice drive across Nevada and is generally along the route of the original Lincoln Highway and the Pony Express before that. That final stretch between Ely and Minden will probably be one of our longest driving days.
I'll save our West to East travel plans for a different post on a different day.
Enjoy this beautiful day - at least it is here in Maine!
And Hi from Sophie ...
We try to leave as much "stuff" that we need when we travel loaded all the time but some things are also needed around the house and some things just store better in a temperature controlled environment. Over the years I have developed a list of stuff that needs to be loaded prior to a trip and I have started to work on that list. In spite of the list - we always seem to forget something.
With only 13 days and a wake-up before we roll west we also have to get in some time with our Maine kids and grandkids. We have some gramma and papa time scheduled with Miss Sophie this weekend and then next weekend we have some Taylor time on tap during and after her birthday party. Yep - that's right ... Miss Taylor is about to turn 2 years old! Hard to believe!
The main purpose of our upcoming trip out west is to visit with my mom (Nan) and perhaps give my older sister Marcie and her family a break from their caregiver duties. As many of you know - being a full time caregiver to an elderly relative is a tough job. Marcie and her husband Don have done a great job this past year under some tough circumstances. We are looking forward to the visit.
We are also looking forward to taking some "extra" time along the way to see a few places we haven't seen before and enjoy again some places we have already experienced. We don't have a lot of time to play tourist since we need to get back home before the snow flakes fly - but we hope to take a bit more leisurely trip than it seems we have taken the last few times.
I am also going to try driving less miles per day than we have in the past. On most of our previous trips out west we have tended to drive about 300+ miles per day. Except for a few stretches - I am hoping to keep that closer to 200 to 250 miles per day on this trip. I know Peggy will appreciate the slower pace - and I suspect I will as well.
So what new places are we planning to see? We have driven most of the major routes going East-West, some several times, over these past 8 or so years so we have seen most of the countryside along the major interstates. Although I enjoy driving the "backroads" of America from time to time - I tend to stick to the major interstates when we are trying to "make-miles." We have driven the I-80 route way too many times so we tend to avoid that route when we can. It is still the fastest route to go where we tend to go ... but I've seen that corn before!
For the Eastern Third of the trip I am planning on taking I-90 through Massachusetts and into NY ... but then traveling West along I-88 and I-86 through southern NY avoiding the NY thruway and its tolls. We have driven this route once before when we were doing some genealogy research several years ago and I recall "most" of that route to be RV friendly. Once we hit Lake Erie we will follow I-90 to Cleveland and then take I-80 into Indiana. We hope to spend a few days in Indiana around Shipshewana and then finish off what I call "the Eastern Third" by continuing west past Chicago on I-80. Yes - I know ... I will have to pay the Indiana and Illinois tolls and I will have to navigate through the Chicago traffic but I just want to get through this section in the fastest time practical.
Once we make it west of Chicago I consider our trip to be into the "MidWestern Third." For this part of the trip I plan on heading up to I-90 and seeing some country we haven't seen before. On our way up to I-90 we plan on taking Winne back to her birthplace in Forest City, Iowa. Why? Well for no particular purpose other than to go there - take the factory tour - and then continue on our way. Once we turn west on I-90 our short term destination will be the Black Hills area of South Dakota. We have driven part of that route before but the portion in Minnesota and eastern South Dakota will be new for us. We made a brief stop in the Black Hills back in 2005 on our first long trip with Winne - we enjoyed the area and are looking forward to being there again for a few days.
Once we leave the Black Hills heading west we will be entering the final "Western Third" of the trip. The stretch of I-90 between Rapid City, SD and Billings, MT will be new to us as well. We are hoping to get in some sightseeing at Devils Tower and the Little Bighorn Battlefield along the way. From Billings we are planning to continue along I-90 and then enter Yellowstone National Park from the north. We have been to Yellowstone many times in the past - and always enjoy the scenery and wildlife. We don't plan on spending much time in Yellowstone on this trip since we hope to spend a few days taking in the scenery at some special places in Utah. So we will continue through YNP and down into our old stomping grounds of Idaho Falls, ID on our way further south into Utah. Once we arrive in Utah we have some real decisions to make. We will only have a few days before we will need to be heading to Nevada and there are at least a month of places to see! We still have several weeks and a couple thousand miles to make those decisions - why hurry?
The final leg of our Western Third will be along US 50 A.K.A - "The Loneliest Road in America." Actually this is a pretty nice drive across Nevada and is generally along the route of the original Lincoln Highway and the Pony Express before that. That final stretch between Ely and Minden will probably be one of our longest driving days.
I'll save our West to East travel plans for a different post on a different day.
Enjoy this beautiful day - at least it is here in Maine!
And Hi from Sophie ...
Sunday, August 18, 2013
More Maintenance
The theme for this week has been "more maintenance." As soon as I think the list is almost complete - a few more items crop up. In my last entry I was about to replace the batteries after rust proofing and painting the battery compartment. Well - I accomplished that chore but then the electric steps started acting up ... again. I have had some intermittent problems with these steps for a couple of years now and the problems appeared to be getting worse. After some detailed troubleshooting I determined that the electronic control box was the culprit and needed replacement. That sounds easy -- right? Well first I had to do some research to find out that Winne's original step controller is obsolete. Then I had to contact the manufacturer to find a replacement part number. Fortunately the folks at "Kwikee" got back to my e-mail within an hour and I had the replacement part number in hand. Then it was back to the internet to find a retailer who had the needed part in stock. It took several tries but I finally found a dealer in California who had what I needed. Within a few minutes I had the part on order with a 2 day delivery time.
In the meantime I moved on to checking out all of Winne's propane fueled equipment. Coach heater --- check, stove --- check, hot water heater --- check, refrigerator --- not-so-check! The gas burner was lighting but it wouldn't stay lit. I have had this problem in the past and all it takes is to remove the burner tube and clean out all the rust that tends to accumulate. This really needs to be done once a year if you have a Norcold RV refrigerator. So I removed the ignitor and burner and sure enough it was full of rust flakes. I cleaned up the debris and re-installed the parts. During the re-installation I found out that the electronic ignitor was about to fall apart! I called the RV repair place here locally and found out that they have a new ignitor but they were about to close. I re-installed the old ignitor for testing purposes and the refrigerator started on gas just like it is supposed to. So ... it looks like I will have to replace that ignitor on Monday.
As advertised - the replacement step control unit arrived on Saturday so today I got that installed and the steps are now working correctly. I made that sound easy but the additional work to make the replacement part fit and readjust/lubricate the steps mechanically took all morning. Oh well ... it all had to be done anyway!
SO ... now I am back to where I thought I was a few days ago. Only two more minor maintenance issues to take care of and then it will be time to move on to the loading phase.
Like I have said before ... keeping all the systems of two homes working the way they are supposed to takes a lot of work! Especially when one home has to roll over thousands of miles of America's roadways in all kinds of weather.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. But I am looking forward to a fun trip with no major maintenance issues along the way!
Oh yeah -- that little medical procedure I had on Friday went fine and the results were good. Unfortunately - once you have had a few polyps in your colon they want to look again every 5 years even if they don't find any during the first 5 year followup.
And more good news! ... Stacy and family arrived back from their visit to Washington State. Gotta get some time in with Miss Taylor and Miss Sophie (and their families) in the next few weeks!
Only 17 days and a wake-up to go!!
In the meantime I moved on to checking out all of Winne's propane fueled equipment. Coach heater --- check, stove --- check, hot water heater --- check, refrigerator --- not-so-check! The gas burner was lighting but it wouldn't stay lit. I have had this problem in the past and all it takes is to remove the burner tube and clean out all the rust that tends to accumulate. This really needs to be done once a year if you have a Norcold RV refrigerator. So I removed the ignitor and burner and sure enough it was full of rust flakes. I cleaned up the debris and re-installed the parts. During the re-installation I found out that the electronic ignitor was about to fall apart! I called the RV repair place here locally and found out that they have a new ignitor but they were about to close. I re-installed the old ignitor for testing purposes and the refrigerator started on gas just like it is supposed to. So ... it looks like I will have to replace that ignitor on Monday.
As advertised - the replacement step control unit arrived on Saturday so today I got that installed and the steps are now working correctly. I made that sound easy but the additional work to make the replacement part fit and readjust/lubricate the steps mechanically took all morning. Oh well ... it all had to be done anyway!
SO ... now I am back to where I thought I was a few days ago. Only two more minor maintenance issues to take care of and then it will be time to move on to the loading phase.
Like I have said before ... keeping all the systems of two homes working the way they are supposed to takes a lot of work! Especially when one home has to roll over thousands of miles of America's roadways in all kinds of weather.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. But I am looking forward to a fun trip with no major maintenance issues along the way!
Oh yeah -- that little medical procedure I had on Friday went fine and the results were good. Unfortunately - once you have had a few polyps in your colon they want to look again every 5 years even if they don't find any during the first 5 year followup.
And more good news! ... Stacy and family arrived back from their visit to Washington State. Gotta get some time in with Miss Taylor and Miss Sophie (and their families) in the next few weeks!
Only 17 days and a wake-up to go!!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Winne and Mikee Maintenance
*** Warning - This Post is Boring for all Non-Gearheads or RV Maintenance Geeks ***
Last week was motorhome cleaning and waxing week - this week has been motorhome maintenance week. I started off on Sunday with changing the transmission fluid and filter. I believe the Allison Transmission folks tell you to do this every 25,000 miles with the "standard" transmission fluid. I kinda stretched the first change to about 50,000 miles when I converted over to the approved synthetic fluid and just completed the second fluid change at right about 100,000 miles. "They" say that now that I have done two changes using the approved synthetic fluid I should not need to change it again. At near $50 a gallon I hope so!
During the process of changing Winne's transmission fluid I needed to drive it for several miles to warm up the fluid and do a final level adjustment. During my test drive I got to use my new ScanGuage gadget which seems to work great. I was able to monitor the transmission fluid temperature and a host of other parameters. During my monitoring I noted that the engine coolant temperature was running around 207 degrees on the highway and I thought this was a bit high. This is one of those good news - bad news things about having more accurate indications. The original temperature gauge installed on Winne that I have been using now for almost 100,000 miles was reading right where it has always read - right in the middle of the unlabeled scale. One of the things I never liked about that gauge is that it moves in increments of ranges - not really in response to small changes in temperature. For example -- if the gauge reads in the "middle" that can mean anything between about 190 degrees and 220 degrees. Most of my previous vehicles have had 180 or 190 degree setpoint thermostats and the temperature gauges have read right around those figures. Winne came from the factory with a 195 degree thermostat so I expected to see something slightly less than 200 degrees. Since I'm not used to seeing temps above 200 degrees, and since Winne's thermostat has been in there for over 10 years, and since the coolant was overdue for changing anyway ... Tuesday was thermostat and coolant changing day.
That project took about half a day and was followed by another test run. Yep - you guessed it. The temperature went right up to and steadied out at 207 degrees. Now I know what "normal" is and Winne has a new thermostat and fresh coolant.
Yesterday was battery maintenance day. I started that project by removing all three batteries (1 standard battery for the engine/generator start/electric steps/room slides and 2 Deep Cycle batteries for the rest of the "coach" 12 volt lights and other stuff). I checked the battery fluid levels and the state of charge on the Deep Cycle batteries using a hydrometer and everything looked great. Those batteries are about 3-4 years old now and are holding up pretty well. Much better than the original batteries and first replacements did when using Winne's original battery charger / converter. Installing that new converter several years ago has really paid off! After checking out the batteries I moved on to my main purpose for removing the batteries - cleaning, rust proofing, and painting the battery storage compartment. That compartment is open to the underside of the chassis for ventilation purposes and takes a beating from the elements - not to mention any corrosive environment created by the batteries themselves. I spent most of the afternoon cleaning, metal prepping, and painting using the POR 15 paint system which I have used before on several Winne chassis rust issues with great success.
I still need to re-install the batteries this morning to complete that project before I move on to whatever project is next on the list ... but the list is getting shorter.
Actually -- I may need to call it quits on the Winne maintenance chores for a couple of days. It seems I have a medical "procedure" scheduled for tomorrow AM and it involves drinking a lot of fluid and other cleansing techniques.
It looks like both Winne and I need our routine maintenance!
Last week was motorhome cleaning and waxing week - this week has been motorhome maintenance week. I started off on Sunday with changing the transmission fluid and filter. I believe the Allison Transmission folks tell you to do this every 25,000 miles with the "standard" transmission fluid. I kinda stretched the first change to about 50,000 miles when I converted over to the approved synthetic fluid and just completed the second fluid change at right about 100,000 miles. "They" say that now that I have done two changes using the approved synthetic fluid I should not need to change it again. At near $50 a gallon I hope so!
During the process of changing Winne's transmission fluid I needed to drive it for several miles to warm up the fluid and do a final level adjustment. During my test drive I got to use my new ScanGuage gadget which seems to work great. I was able to monitor the transmission fluid temperature and a host of other parameters. During my monitoring I noted that the engine coolant temperature was running around 207 degrees on the highway and I thought this was a bit high. This is one of those good news - bad news things about having more accurate indications. The original temperature gauge installed on Winne that I have been using now for almost 100,000 miles was reading right where it has always read - right in the middle of the unlabeled scale. One of the things I never liked about that gauge is that it moves in increments of ranges - not really in response to small changes in temperature. For example -- if the gauge reads in the "middle" that can mean anything between about 190 degrees and 220 degrees. Most of my previous vehicles have had 180 or 190 degree setpoint thermostats and the temperature gauges have read right around those figures. Winne came from the factory with a 195 degree thermostat so I expected to see something slightly less than 200 degrees. Since I'm not used to seeing temps above 200 degrees, and since Winne's thermostat has been in there for over 10 years, and since the coolant was overdue for changing anyway ... Tuesday was thermostat and coolant changing day.
That project took about half a day and was followed by another test run. Yep - you guessed it. The temperature went right up to and steadied out at 207 degrees. Now I know what "normal" is and Winne has a new thermostat and fresh coolant.
Yesterday was battery maintenance day. I started that project by removing all three batteries (1 standard battery for the engine/generator start/electric steps/room slides and 2 Deep Cycle batteries for the rest of the "coach" 12 volt lights and other stuff). I checked the battery fluid levels and the state of charge on the Deep Cycle batteries using a hydrometer and everything looked great. Those batteries are about 3-4 years old now and are holding up pretty well. Much better than the original batteries and first replacements did when using Winne's original battery charger / converter. Installing that new converter several years ago has really paid off! After checking out the batteries I moved on to my main purpose for removing the batteries - cleaning, rust proofing, and painting the battery storage compartment. That compartment is open to the underside of the chassis for ventilation purposes and takes a beating from the elements - not to mention any corrosive environment created by the batteries themselves. I spent most of the afternoon cleaning, metal prepping, and painting using the POR 15 paint system which I have used before on several Winne chassis rust issues with great success.
I still need to re-install the batteries this morning to complete that project before I move on to whatever project is next on the list ... but the list is getting shorter.
Actually -- I may need to call it quits on the Winne maintenance chores for a couple of days. It seems I have a medical "procedure" scheduled for tomorrow AM and it involves drinking a lot of fluid and other cleansing techniques.
It looks like both Winne and I need our routine maintenance!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Sandals, Snow Shovels, or Both?
I reckon I have moved right through the transition phase as I seem to be in full "get ready to travel" mode. I know we still have a bit over 3 weeks before we will be leaving but I bet I run out of time before I get all my pre-travel chores done!
This last week Winne got a scrub down and a wax job. It took me 2 full days of wax on - wax off and up the ladder - down the ladder to make it all the way around and top to bottom. It had been a full year since Winne last got waxed so it was really in need. Whew - glad that chore is done.
After the wax job was done I started checking out all the various systems, fixing some minor stuff along the way. I usually try to get the "minor" stuff fixed before we leave so I don't have to deal with them on the road. New stuff always seems to come up along the way so I figure I might as well get the known stuff fixed now! The weather forecast looks pretty good for tomorrow so I think I will move on to the transmission fluid change for tomorrow's project.
Speaking of time getting short .... did you notice that the NFL pre-season games started this last week, that the stores are all having back-to-school sales, and that Congress and the President are off on vacation? That can only mean that Autumn is just around the corner and the lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer are soon to be in our rear view mirror. At least that's they way it works in Maine. Summer is usually a few hot days in July, followed quickly by the cool evenings of Autumn, what seems like 6 months of Winter, and a few weeks of poor sledding known as Spring.
Autumn is my favorite time of year in Maine but this year we will be enjoying Autumn as we travel west for a few weeks and then spend a few more in Nevada visiting with my mom, sisters, and their families. So what kind of weather should we plan on? I suspect it will be still be pretty warm in the mid-west as we travel through in early September. But then I also know it will be getting down to below freezing temps in the evenings in Nevada by the time we leave. As is usual when we travel - we'll take shorts, winter coats, sandals, and boots.
And just in case - I'll leave Winne's snow shovel packed in its usual place.
This last week Winne got a scrub down and a wax job. It took me 2 full days of wax on - wax off and up the ladder - down the ladder to make it all the way around and top to bottom. It had been a full year since Winne last got waxed so it was really in need. Whew - glad that chore is done.
After the wax job was done I started checking out all the various systems, fixing some minor stuff along the way. I usually try to get the "minor" stuff fixed before we leave so I don't have to deal with them on the road. New stuff always seems to come up along the way so I figure I might as well get the known stuff fixed now! The weather forecast looks pretty good for tomorrow so I think I will move on to the transmission fluid change for tomorrow's project.
Speaking of time getting short .... did you notice that the NFL pre-season games started this last week, that the stores are all having back-to-school sales, and that Congress and the President are off on vacation? That can only mean that Autumn is just around the corner and the lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer are soon to be in our rear view mirror. At least that's they way it works in Maine. Summer is usually a few hot days in July, followed quickly by the cool evenings of Autumn, what seems like 6 months of Winter, and a few weeks of poor sledding known as Spring.
Autumn is my favorite time of year in Maine but this year we will be enjoying Autumn as we travel west for a few weeks and then spend a few more in Nevada visiting with my mom, sisters, and their families. So what kind of weather should we plan on? I suspect it will be still be pretty warm in the mid-west as we travel through in early September. But then I also know it will be getting down to below freezing temps in the evenings in Nevada by the time we leave. As is usual when we travel - we'll take shorts, winter coats, sandals, and boots.
And just in case - I'll leave Winne's snow shovel packed in its usual place.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Finishing Off July
Whew - we survived last week. Peggy had been looking forward to / planning for her week of VBS teaching for several months now - and it is finally over. As I knew it would - all her preparations payed off and it sounds like a great week was had by all - including Kyla who did a great job of assisting Peggy each day!
I'm sure there was a good lesson behind teaching these 5 year olds to wrap up Kyla with bandages - but you'll have to have Peggy explain it.
As it turned out I was pretty busy last week as well. It seems that 16 year old Bailey has this old 1997 Chevy Truck for his first vehicle and it was in need of some relatively serious rust repair. So young Bailey and his dad procured some new cab corner panels and a used drivers side fender and it was time for Mikee's Auto Body Shop to get to work. Fortunately for Mikee - he had an able bodied assistant who was willing to learn the fine arts of metal cutting, body panel epoxying, fiberglass reinforced bondo repair, and fender replacement!
I won't bore you with all the details -- but a couple of sweaty and dirty days later and the old Chevy was looking a whole lot less rusty and now young Bailey can move on to further beautification on his "ride." I'm glad I was able to help him out on this project but as I've always said - "I really hate body work" - now I remember why! I think Mikee will once again retire from the Auto Body business.
Yesterday Peggy and I were treated with a several hour visit from our newest grand daughter - Miss Sophie Ann. Sophie's Mom and Dad were overdue for a few hours of together time so Peggy and I volunteered to watch Miss Sophie while they went to Portland for a lunch date. Sophie is now 7 weeks old and is all the way up to 9 lbs.
It has been awhile since Peggy and I had to care for one that young - but we still remembered a few things. After all these years these little ones still don't come with an owner's manual - imagine that! If they're cranky - try feeding them, if they're still cranky - try changing them, if that doesn't work - try rocking them, if that doesn't work - give them to G'ma (or Papa as the case may be). We all survived - including Eric and Jen.
After Sophie went home and before the thunderstorms moved through - I traveled over to Winne's storage location, removed her tire covers, connected her chassis battery, started her up and brought her home. Now the trip preparations can officially begin. We'll start off with a good scrubbing today and take it from there - only 32 and a wake-up to go before Peggy and I head west.
But today is "A Wake-Up" for the Johansen's as they prepare to fly west tomorrow. Stacy, Kaj, Bailey, Kyla, and Taylor will be on their way to Seattle tomorrow and that means Peggy and I get to dogsit Tut starting this afternoon.
Looks like another busy-fun week ahead.
I'm sure there was a good lesson behind teaching these 5 year olds to wrap up Kyla with bandages - but you'll have to have Peggy explain it.
As it turned out I was pretty busy last week as well. It seems that 16 year old Bailey has this old 1997 Chevy Truck for his first vehicle and it was in need of some relatively serious rust repair. So young Bailey and his dad procured some new cab corner panels and a used drivers side fender and it was time for Mikee's Auto Body Shop to get to work. Fortunately for Mikee - he had an able bodied assistant who was willing to learn the fine arts of metal cutting, body panel epoxying, fiberglass reinforced bondo repair, and fender replacement!
I won't bore you with all the details -- but a couple of sweaty and dirty days later and the old Chevy was looking a whole lot less rusty and now young Bailey can move on to further beautification on his "ride." I'm glad I was able to help him out on this project but as I've always said - "I really hate body work" - now I remember why! I think Mikee will once again retire from the Auto Body business.
Yesterday Peggy and I were treated with a several hour visit from our newest grand daughter - Miss Sophie Ann. Sophie's Mom and Dad were overdue for a few hours of together time so Peggy and I volunteered to watch Miss Sophie while they went to Portland for a lunch date. Sophie is now 7 weeks old and is all the way up to 9 lbs.
It has been awhile since Peggy and I had to care for one that young - but we still remembered a few things. After all these years these little ones still don't come with an owner's manual - imagine that! If they're cranky - try feeding them, if they're still cranky - try changing them, if that doesn't work - try rocking them, if that doesn't work - give them to G'ma (or Papa as the case may be). We all survived - including Eric and Jen.
After Sophie went home and before the thunderstorms moved through - I traveled over to Winne's storage location, removed her tire covers, connected her chassis battery, started her up and brought her home. Now the trip preparations can officially begin. We'll start off with a good scrubbing today and take it from there - only 32 and a wake-up to go before Peggy and I head west.
But today is "A Wake-Up" for the Johansen's as they prepare to fly west tomorrow. Stacy, Kaj, Bailey, Kyla, and Taylor will be on their way to Seattle tomorrow and that means Peggy and I get to dogsit Tut starting this afternoon.
Looks like another busy-fun week ahead.
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