Our preparations to head south have continued these last few days. More stuff has made its way into Winne's various storage compartments and we are in the last few days of taking care of all the details necessary to hit the road. Oh yeah ... the fuel tank repair seems to be holding up fine so hopefully that problem is behind us.
There has been only one small change to our plans. We are not going to Florida ... and instead we are heading west once again -- all the way to California!
Several weeks ago we found out that Peggy's sister Carol's husband passed away unexpectedly. It appears that Carol could use some extra support at the moment ... and since we can ... we are. Having family so far away during these tough times can be a challenge for everybody but sometimes you just do what you know you gotta do.
So it looks like we will trade the warmth of the Sunshine State for the warmth of the Golden State. I figure it will be best if we travel the southern route west ... so at the moment our plan is to head south to the Gulf and then take a right on I10. We aren't in too big of a hurry to get to California ... but we do want to keep the total trip length down to a couple of months. So I'm planning on a three week trip heading west.
Once again we prove that you have to stay flexible if you want to be a Maineiac In Motion.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
If at first you don't succeed ...
Well here we are. All the way into the last week of February. That means we are only 6 And-A-Wake-Up away from hitting the road and heading south for awhile.
Apparently this will not count as a "snowbird" getaway trip ... since we barely have any snow left and with rain forecast for mid-week ... we probably won't have any snow left by Friday! But it is still February, technically it is still winter, and I'm fairly certain Maine still has several snow days left before spring ... so we'll call this an early spring vacation ... although I've never quite figured out what counts as a vacation for us retired folks?
I brought Winne home today to start the final loading and pre-travel preparations. But first -- I had to re-visit my gas tank repair work. I thought the epoxy I installed a week ago had done the job ... but it hadn't. I was a bit concerned that the stuff never really hardened up like I thought it should and sure enough it had re-developed its leak when I checked it last week. So yesterday I went with Plan B which involved removing the stuff I originally applied, re-cleaning the area, and applying some JB Weld - an epoxy product I have used in the past with consistent success. Although Plan B was looking pretty good yesterday afternoon while the product was curing - it was clear this morning that the leak had redeveloped. JB Weld will resist gasoline once it hardens but apparently the stuff I applied to stop the leak before I applied the JB Weld didn't hold back the leak long enough and the gasoline kept the JB Weld from setting up completely.
So today I went back to Plan A. After removing the JB Weld stuff and re-cleaning the area I mixed up a new batch of the product I originally used (from a new kit) and applied it. The 2 parts of the epoxy seemed to react better when mixed this time and it was pretty clear fairly fast that this mix was going to set up faster than the first batch (which never did completely harden). Within 5 minutes the applied patch was pretty hard and then I applied some heat with a heat gun to help the process along. The heat really seemed to do the trick and the patch was hard as a rock in about 10 more minutes! I checked the patch a few hours later and there was no leak and no soft areas. So I declared victory - reattached the tank holding strap I had removed to gain better access - and drove Winne home. I'll check it again in the morning -- but I'm feeling pretty confident that I got it fixed this time. I sure hope so ... driving and living in a vehicle with a leaky gas tank doesn't sound like a very smart idea ... even to me!!
So now all we have to do is check out the Fusion towing equipment and load everything that needs to be loaded ... and we have 6 whole days to get that done ... Should be easy as pie ... right?
But then I have never made a pie!
Apparently this will not count as a "snowbird" getaway trip ... since we barely have any snow left and with rain forecast for mid-week ... we probably won't have any snow left by Friday! But it is still February, technically it is still winter, and I'm fairly certain Maine still has several snow days left before spring ... so we'll call this an early spring vacation ... although I've never quite figured out what counts as a vacation for us retired folks?
I brought Winne home today to start the final loading and pre-travel preparations. But first -- I had to re-visit my gas tank repair work. I thought the epoxy I installed a week ago had done the job ... but it hadn't. I was a bit concerned that the stuff never really hardened up like I thought it should and sure enough it had re-developed its leak when I checked it last week. So yesterday I went with Plan B which involved removing the stuff I originally applied, re-cleaning the area, and applying some JB Weld - an epoxy product I have used in the past with consistent success. Although Plan B was looking pretty good yesterday afternoon while the product was curing - it was clear this morning that the leak had redeveloped. JB Weld will resist gasoline once it hardens but apparently the stuff I applied to stop the leak before I applied the JB Weld didn't hold back the leak long enough and the gasoline kept the JB Weld from setting up completely.
So today I went back to Plan A. After removing the JB Weld stuff and re-cleaning the area I mixed up a new batch of the product I originally used (from a new kit) and applied it. The 2 parts of the epoxy seemed to react better when mixed this time and it was pretty clear fairly fast that this mix was going to set up faster than the first batch (which never did completely harden). Within 5 minutes the applied patch was pretty hard and then I applied some heat with a heat gun to help the process along. The heat really seemed to do the trick and the patch was hard as a rock in about 10 more minutes! I checked the patch a few hours later and there was no leak and no soft areas. So I declared victory - reattached the tank holding strap I had removed to gain better access - and drove Winne home. I'll check it again in the morning -- but I'm feeling pretty confident that I got it fixed this time. I sure hope so ... driving and living in a vehicle with a leaky gas tank doesn't sound like a very smart idea ... even to me!!
So now all we have to do is check out the Fusion towing equipment and load everything that needs to be loaded ... and we have 6 whole days to get that done ... Should be easy as pie ... right?
But then I have never made a pie!
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Winter Potpourri - 12 and A-Wake-Up
What crazy weather we have been having. Just a day ago it was -10 degrees F in the morning and the high was only about +10 for the day. Today it started off snowing, changed to ice, then rain, and the snow was pretty much gone by 4 PM. As I write this at around 8 PM it is right at 50 degrees. It's February in Maine -- what more can I say?
If I thought the 50 degree weather would stay around ... so would I. But it wont .. so neither will I.
With repairs to Winne completed last week I moved on to getting the Fusion ready for travel. Actually ... the Fusion was already "ready" for travel but I wanted to get a few boo boos fixed. As you may or may not be aware ... I sorta customized the front bumper cover using a concrete retaining wall back in July in California. And then I managed to further modify the drivers side rocker molding while on my way to visit the Buddy Holly shrine in Iowa on the way home. Neither modification was a serious departure from the stock form designed by Ford but I wanted to get those plastic parts put back into like-new condition. Since I have no automotive body repair skills I enlisted the assistance of my friend Glenn who relies on folks like me to keep his family housed, clothed, and fed. After several days of effort and a bit of paint the Fusion is looking just like new.
That brings us to today --- 12 And A Wake Up. I guess it's time to get serious about heading south.
I figure I'll leave Winne where she rests until next week sometime ... and then bring her home for the final few days of pre-travel loading and preparations. Peggy and I have started gathering the "stuff" we need to get loaded and getting the house ready for a few months of "layup." We have this routine down pretty well by now. Get any medical appointments done, stock up on prescriptions, arrange for mail transfer, fillup the fuel oil tank, and accomplish some "spring cleaning" so we can come home to a clean house upon our return. I swear our house is its cleanest right before we leave on our little RV adventures.
By the time we return, the nation should have a better idea who the finalists will be on that great reality show known as the American Presidential Election. So far - I have managed to maintain a sane attitude towards the process in spite of all the craziness that has ensued. I have paid attention to the debates, watched too many advertisements, read the pundits words online from both conservative and progressive sources, and tried to maintain a somewhat open mind. As you would expect ... I won't be voting for either of the Socialists running in the Democrat Party Primary ... and I will not be voting for the misogynistic, narcissist, reality show host running in the Republican Party Primary. Other than those limitations - I'll keep an eye on the remaining candidates. Actually ... I wont be voting in the Primary election at all! Since Maine is a caucus state, and since I will be gone on Primary Election Day for Maine, and since there is no absentee balloting for other than Active Duty Military - it appears I have been disenfranchised. But I look forward to my opportunity in November. With Maine being a political close cousin to the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts and with the way the electoral college system works for Presidential elections -- I realize my single vote won't matter much. But I'm going to make my choice nonetheless.
It matters to me!
If I thought the 50 degree weather would stay around ... so would I. But it wont .. so neither will I.
With repairs to Winne completed last week I moved on to getting the Fusion ready for travel. Actually ... the Fusion was already "ready" for travel but I wanted to get a few boo boos fixed. As you may or may not be aware ... I sorta customized the front bumper cover using a concrete retaining wall back in July in California. And then I managed to further modify the drivers side rocker molding while on my way to visit the Buddy Holly shrine in Iowa on the way home. Neither modification was a serious departure from the stock form designed by Ford but I wanted to get those plastic parts put back into like-new condition. Since I have no automotive body repair skills I enlisted the assistance of my friend Glenn who relies on folks like me to keep his family housed, clothed, and fed. After several days of effort and a bit of paint the Fusion is looking just like new.
That brings us to today --- 12 And A Wake Up. I guess it's time to get serious about heading south.
I figure I'll leave Winne where she rests until next week sometime ... and then bring her home for the final few days of pre-travel loading and preparations. Peggy and I have started gathering the "stuff" we need to get loaded and getting the house ready for a few months of "layup." We have this routine down pretty well by now. Get any medical appointments done, stock up on prescriptions, arrange for mail transfer, fillup the fuel oil tank, and accomplish some "spring cleaning" so we can come home to a clean house upon our return. I swear our house is its cleanest right before we leave on our little RV adventures.
By the time we return, the nation should have a better idea who the finalists will be on that great reality show known as the American Presidential Election. So far - I have managed to maintain a sane attitude towards the process in spite of all the craziness that has ensued. I have paid attention to the debates, watched too many advertisements, read the pundits words online from both conservative and progressive sources, and tried to maintain a somewhat open mind. As you would expect ... I won't be voting for either of the Socialists running in the Democrat Party Primary ... and I will not be voting for the misogynistic, narcissist, reality show host running in the Republican Party Primary. Other than those limitations - I'll keep an eye on the remaining candidates. Actually ... I wont be voting in the Primary election at all! Since Maine is a caucus state, and since I will be gone on Primary Election Day for Maine, and since there is no absentee balloting for other than Active Duty Military - it appears I have been disenfranchised. But I look forward to my opportunity in November. With Maine being a political close cousin to the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts and with the way the electoral college system works for Presidential elections -- I realize my single vote won't matter much. But I'm going to make my choice nonetheless.
It matters to me!
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Life as a Mature Motorhome Owner
Being a "mature" owner of a "mature" motorhome is no easy task. We both need a lot of TLC to keep us running.
I removed Winne from her storage spot during the warm spell we had last week and drove her over to the shop where I have been working on my friends streetrods on-and-off these past few months. Since the shop is big enough (barely) to house Winne and we had a window of opportunity -- I was able to pull Winne inside a couple of days ago to get some pre-travel maintenance accomplished. Actually, the only work I had planned was to replace the shock absorbers -- but one thing always leads to another -- and another.
With the help of my friend Glenn -- we were able to get the shock absorbers replaced on Friday with only a minor amount of difficulty. When I did this job about 8 years ago I was 8 years younger ... so I was glad to have the help! It was also nice to have access to air tools and a torch to help remove the one bolt that will always be difficult to remove ... and it was.
When pulling Winne into the shop Glenn noticed a misalignment of the graphics on the sidewall where they continue on to the rear of the bedroom slideout (leave it to a professional bodyman to notice such things). You would think I would have noticed this misalignment before - but I guess I didn't. The misaligned graphics was obviously caused by the rear of the slideout being about 5/8 of an inch lower than when the graphics were applied when new. Hmmmm ... this might explain why I had trouble with the horizontal seal under this side of the slide several years ago. After doing a bit of research Friday night I figured out how the vertical alignment of the slide was adjusted ... now all I had to do was find the adjustment bolt!
As it turned out the adjustment bolt wasn't there! Now this bolt didn't just vibrate loose and fall out somewhere. Considering where it is located (above the Air Conditioning Unit behind a body panel) and how hard it was to turn when installed ... it either was never there from the beginning (hard to believe) or was removed sometime after. I know I didn't remove it when I removed the A/C unit several years ago while staying in Alabama, and that A/C unit has only been removed one other time way back in 2009 ... so I suspect it was removed by the technicians back then. Regardless -- the bolt was replaced and the slideout was adjusted back to where it belongs -- well pretty close anyway. Another reminder why I hate to have others work on my "stuff!"
While working on replacing the rear shocks we also noticed that the underside of the fuel tank was wet in one area. Hmmm ... that's not good ... and will probably not fix itself anytime soon! Further investigation into that little problem revealed a very small leak at a spot weld location on the side of the tank where an internal tank baffle had been welded in during the tank's construction. Apparently, the action of gasoline sloshing back and forth in the tank over the years caused a minuscule crack in that spotweld and thus the leak. So yesterday's chore was to apply an epoxy based patch over that spot using a fuel tank repair kit. It seemed to stop the leak immediately and I'll be checking on it again this morning after letting it cure overnight.
See .... never a dull moment in the life of us "mature" motorhome owners!
Assuming that the leak repair is satisfactory, and assuming we don't find anything else that needs fixing, I'll get Winne removed from the repair shop today and back in a storage location awaiting loading.
20 and A Wake Up.
I removed Winne from her storage spot during the warm spell we had last week and drove her over to the shop where I have been working on my friends streetrods on-and-off these past few months. Since the shop is big enough (barely) to house Winne and we had a window of opportunity -- I was able to pull Winne inside a couple of days ago to get some pre-travel maintenance accomplished. Actually, the only work I had planned was to replace the shock absorbers -- but one thing always leads to another -- and another.
With the help of my friend Glenn -- we were able to get the shock absorbers replaced on Friday with only a minor amount of difficulty. When I did this job about 8 years ago I was 8 years younger ... so I was glad to have the help! It was also nice to have access to air tools and a torch to help remove the one bolt that will always be difficult to remove ... and it was.
When pulling Winne into the shop Glenn noticed a misalignment of the graphics on the sidewall where they continue on to the rear of the bedroom slideout (leave it to a professional bodyman to notice such things). You would think I would have noticed this misalignment before - but I guess I didn't. The misaligned graphics was obviously caused by the rear of the slideout being about 5/8 of an inch lower than when the graphics were applied when new. Hmmmm ... this might explain why I had trouble with the horizontal seal under this side of the slide several years ago. After doing a bit of research Friday night I figured out how the vertical alignment of the slide was adjusted ... now all I had to do was find the adjustment bolt!
As it turned out the adjustment bolt wasn't there! Now this bolt didn't just vibrate loose and fall out somewhere. Considering where it is located (above the Air Conditioning Unit behind a body panel) and how hard it was to turn when installed ... it either was never there from the beginning (hard to believe) or was removed sometime after. I know I didn't remove it when I removed the A/C unit several years ago while staying in Alabama, and that A/C unit has only been removed one other time way back in 2009 ... so I suspect it was removed by the technicians back then. Regardless -- the bolt was replaced and the slideout was adjusted back to where it belongs -- well pretty close anyway. Another reminder why I hate to have others work on my "stuff!"
While working on replacing the rear shocks we also noticed that the underside of the fuel tank was wet in one area. Hmmm ... that's not good ... and will probably not fix itself anytime soon! Further investigation into that little problem revealed a very small leak at a spot weld location on the side of the tank where an internal tank baffle had been welded in during the tank's construction. Apparently, the action of gasoline sloshing back and forth in the tank over the years caused a minuscule crack in that spotweld and thus the leak. So yesterday's chore was to apply an epoxy based patch over that spot using a fuel tank repair kit. It seemed to stop the leak immediately and I'll be checking on it again this morning after letting it cure overnight.
See .... never a dull moment in the life of us "mature" motorhome owners!
Assuming that the leak repair is satisfactory, and assuming we don't find anything else that needs fixing, I'll get Winne removed from the repair shop today and back in a storage location awaiting loading.
20 and A Wake Up.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Think Spring!
Hard to believe - but we made it through January and all the way to February 2016! January was pretty cold overall but we did get into a warming trend during those last few days and today's high is forecast to be around 51 degrees! Don't go getting too excited since it is supposed to go right back into the 30s tomorrow! But a bit of warmth is definitely appreciated to melt some of the ice and snow that has accumulated in January. We didn't receive any snow from that big winter storm that hit the Atlantic states last week so that was good (for us anyway!).
If it is February then it must be time to get serious about heading south. At least that's the way Peggy and I tend to play snowbird! As of today we have 27 days and a-wake-up before we are scheduled to leave. I guess my first order of business will be to wake up Winne. I went over to her storage location about a week ago and removed the Chassis Battery so I could give it a good charge ... so I need to get that reinstalled. Then it will be time to bring her out of storage to get those shock absorbers replaced. Hopefully I can get that done sometime in the next couple of weeks and then I may bring Winne home to start the loading process. As is usual this time of year ... all those plans will depend on the weather. It makes little sense to put Winne in our driveway if we are expecting a bunch of snow ... it just complicates the whole process!
We have started to do a bit of trip planning. The basic plan as of now is to head directly to Florida when we leave. We will probably stop in NJ long enough to wave to the kids as we make our way south. We will try to plan a better visit on the return trip! Not only do we want to get south as quickly as possible to minimize getting caught in nasty weather ... there is a vintage motorcycle show I would like to attend down in Florida in early March.
We plan on hanging out in Central Florida at the SKP Park in Bushnell (Sumter Oaks) for a couple of weeks in early March. After that we hope to do a bit of cruising around southern Florida for a couple of weeks seeing some places we haven't seen in a while and visiting with some friends. The Sarasota area, Naples, Port St. Lucie, and Titusville are on the list ... but who knows? A lot will depend on where we can find a place to park Winne. RV parking spots are a bit scarce (and pricey) in Florida in March!
We will probably make our way back to Bushnell for a bit before heading over to Fort Wilderness for our Disney visit in early April. After thoroughly wearing ourselves out at Disney - the plan is to start heading north again along a somewhat uncertain route. We may get over to Lower Alabama for a few days to see if any of our friends at the "Plantation" are still there, and then up to Tennessee to visit with more friends and perhaps visit the Great Smoky National Park once again. By that time spring should be in full swing in the south so we can enjoy seeing nature bring the color back ... and then we will make our way home to watch spring arrive again in New England!
It may only be February 1st ... but spring is just around the corner!
If it is February then it must be time to get serious about heading south. At least that's the way Peggy and I tend to play snowbird! As of today we have 27 days and a-wake-up before we are scheduled to leave. I guess my first order of business will be to wake up Winne. I went over to her storage location about a week ago and removed the Chassis Battery so I could give it a good charge ... so I need to get that reinstalled. Then it will be time to bring her out of storage to get those shock absorbers replaced. Hopefully I can get that done sometime in the next couple of weeks and then I may bring Winne home to start the loading process. As is usual this time of year ... all those plans will depend on the weather. It makes little sense to put Winne in our driveway if we are expecting a bunch of snow ... it just complicates the whole process!
We have started to do a bit of trip planning. The basic plan as of now is to head directly to Florida when we leave. We will probably stop in NJ long enough to wave to the kids as we make our way south. We will try to plan a better visit on the return trip! Not only do we want to get south as quickly as possible to minimize getting caught in nasty weather ... there is a vintage motorcycle show I would like to attend down in Florida in early March.
We plan on hanging out in Central Florida at the SKP Park in Bushnell (Sumter Oaks) for a couple of weeks in early March. After that we hope to do a bit of cruising around southern Florida for a couple of weeks seeing some places we haven't seen in a while and visiting with some friends. The Sarasota area, Naples, Port St. Lucie, and Titusville are on the list ... but who knows? A lot will depend on where we can find a place to park Winne. RV parking spots are a bit scarce (and pricey) in Florida in March!
We will probably make our way back to Bushnell for a bit before heading over to Fort Wilderness for our Disney visit in early April. After thoroughly wearing ourselves out at Disney - the plan is to start heading north again along a somewhat uncertain route. We may get over to Lower Alabama for a few days to see if any of our friends at the "Plantation" are still there, and then up to Tennessee to visit with more friends and perhaps visit the Great Smoky National Park once again. By that time spring should be in full swing in the south so we can enjoy seeing nature bring the color back ... and then we will make our way home to watch spring arrive again in New England!
It may only be February 1st ... but spring is just around the corner!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)