Whoa ... I just noticed that I am way behind on this blog!
So ... we left Raccoon Valley last Monday, found our way to I-81 and headed north ... first stop ... in Natural Bridge, VA. OK ... with that 300 miles out of the way we took off again Tuesday heading north again. But where to stop? We knew we were going to NJ to see the NJ Gang ... but which route? Hey, I know! Lets go to Dover, PA and visit with Randy and Terry Guiler on the way! We haven't seen them in a while and it's sorta on the way. So we did.
We drove up I-81 to Chambersburg, PA and then hung a right on the Lincoln Highway ... iconic I-30 .... right through beautiful downtown Gettysburg, PA and then on to Dover through some gorgeous PA countryside. Now the countryside may have been gorgeous but the roads were typical rural PA. Ups and Downs, lots of curves, a few rotaries, and a bunch of stoplights ... but we finally made it!
Terry found us at the Cedar Lake Family Campground shortly after our arrival and escorted us into York, PA where we met with Randy at Mission BBQ. We ate some really great BBQ, visited with some really great friends who we don't get to see often enough, and then returned for a restful nights sleep.
We could have visited with the Guilers for several days ... but alas it was time to move on to grandkids and closer to home. We were on the road again Wednesday morning - destination Clarksboro, NJ. After way too many miles through more rural PA, more stop lights, construction, traffic, and other such mess ... we finally pulled in here in Clarksboro, NJ.
After a couple hours here at the rig to rest up - we met up with the NJ Gang at their place where we spent a few more hours catching up on their busy lives. Two teenagers, school, karate practice, band concerts, soccer practice and games, baseball games ... I know we did this too ... 25 or so years ago ... but wow ... I certainly couldn't keep up the pace now!
Due to some after school sports rainouts on Thursday we were able to have the whole gang over to see WTT and participate in our first WTT cookout!
See ... you can fit at least 5 around our new couch and table!
Today was a bit slower day with some sleeping in and minor chores accomplished here with WTT before heading over to visit with the Gang for a few hours before Brian was off to work and Emily was off to karate practice. We did manage to corral Nicky and Alyssa long enough to have a nice dinner out at the local Texas Roadhouse before heading back to Clarksboro to get ready for the final travels up to Maine.
We have about 500 miles left before making it to beautiful downtown Topsham, Maine. Although we have done it in one day before ... that was then ... and this is now. Those kids and grandkids may be able to go-go-go ... but us mature keenagers need a rest now and then.
See ya in a couple of days you Mainers!
Once again, we have returned to the Escapee Raccoon Valley RV Park in Heiskell, TN ... just a stones throw from Knoxville, TN.
We left Little Rock, AR on Friday morning driving east on I-40. We finished off Arkansas with a fuel stop in West Memphis and then continued on I-40 to the small town of Parkers Crossroads, TN -- near Jackson, TN. Another successful travel day with no particular issues to report.
Until Saturday morning when we attempted to depart. We were accomplishing our morning travel routine, although we are developing a new routine for the new equipment, when we came to the step to "raise all jacks." That step started off OK .. with the engine running I had depressed the "Retract All Jacks" button ... the jacks retracted and the air ride system pressurized with air ... but the "Jacks Down" Alarm would not clear. After checking that all jacks were indeed up all the way I attempted to re-level the coach in Automatic ... nothing happened. Then I tried Manual Mode ... nothing again. Then I tried retracting again. Still no action by the hydraulic leveling jacks. Well now ... I suppose I could have driven to the nearest dealership and had them fix it ... but I would have had to listen to that very loud and irritating alarm for many, many miles. To make a long story somewhat shorter ... between the operating manual and a visit from the campground owner I deduced that the "Jacks Down" alarm was actuated and cleared not by some proximity switch on the jacks themselves (like the previous system we had), but rather, by a level sensor in the hydraulic oil tank. When the jacks are up - the oil returns to the tank - and the alarm goes away. That's the way it's supposed to work anyway. So I did what any resourceful nuclear plant operator would do. I wrote a repair order, gave it to myself, readjusted the level sensor slightly until the alarm cleared ... retested the system satisfactorily ... all was right with the world once again and we were on he road -- a few hours later than planned ... but on the road anyway.
With that repair behind us we made it through Nashville, through the Cumberland Plateau, and landed here near Knoxville around 5 PM Eastern Daylight Time. That's right folks ... we have made it back to Eastern Time!
We filled up with Diesel Fuel upon arriving in Knoxville ... our 4th fillup since our initial fill back in Lordsburg, NM ... some 1,650 miles back. So ... I am happy to report that our average fuel mileage for those 1,650 miles is slightly above 10 mpg and our cost per mile for fuel is about 21 cents per mile with the average cost of Diesel being $2.15 per gallon. Since Winne got about 7 mpg and the average price for this trip was about $1.78 per gallon ... her price per mile for fuel was about 24 cents per mile.
Well that's good news ... right? But not so fast. a few years back the Federal Government mandated new emission standards for diesel engines and most engine manufactures were forced to implement the use of DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) to reduce emissions and meet the new standards. Not only did the use of DEF complicate the operation of these engines - it added a new cost. Since our DEF tank was down to about 1/2 when we rolled into Knoxville I decided to fill it as well. I figure we used about 6 gallons of DEF in those 1,650 miles and since a gallon of DEF cost me about $6.40 per gallon ... I figure my DEF cost is almost 3 cents per mile.
So the lesson to be learned here is .... When operating a Motorhome ... gas or diesel ... the per mile fuel cost is about the same.
Now ... aren't you glad these Maineiacs In Motion helped you learn this!?
Stay tuned for more amazing facts as these MIM continue our trek northeast -- back on the road tomorrow!
These Maineiacs In Motion have finally made it out of the Great State of Texas. We followed a slow moving huge line of thunderstorms for several days trying to avoid the really nasty stuff and we did avoid a lot ... BUT ... we have now made it to Little Rock, AR where we expect to have some nasty thunderstorms move through again tonight. I guess it's just that time of year!
We left Pecos, TX on Sunday and drove a couple hundred miles up I-20 to Sweetwater, TX ... just west of Abilene. We spent an extra day in Sweetwater to let the storm front move further east. Since we had some time on our hands on Monday we decided to check out Buck's Steakhouse and BBQ for lunch. I had some great mesquite smoked brisket and ribs with potato salad and Peggy went for the mesquite grilled burger and some huge Texas sized onion rings. It was all mmm mmm good!
We hit the road again on Tuesday and drove around Ft Worth and Dallas on I-20 and then headed northeast on I-30 to the small town of Caddo Mills. We got a decent night's sleep last night in spite of the thunderstorm that moved through early this morning. We took our time leaving this morning to let the storm front move on and then we followed it ... all the way to Little Rock.
We are staying at the Downtown Riverside RV Park here ... which is Downtown ... on the River Side. The park is a city owned and run facility where we have stayed several times in the past. It is relatively easy to get to, has decent facilities ... and best of all ... it's cheap with our Passport America discount!
We have just stayed here overnight in the past but this time we are intending to stay an extra day so maybe we will make it across the bridge this time to check out the Clinton Presidential Library.
WTT has continued to run well on her Maiden Voyage and I am getting more comfortable at the controls. I guess our biggest complaint inside the coach is that several of the overhead LED lights have failed already and need replacement. I understand this is a well known problem as Winnebago got a bad batch of these lights. From what I have read ... those that have had this problem and had the lights replaced are having good experience with the replacements. Even though we have had 6 fail already -- I remain confident that Winnebago will get this fixed easily. Frankly ... I want them all to fail as soon as possible so I can replace them all under warranty!
The biggest problem outside is how filthy the car is getting being towed behind this diesel! The engine exhausts out the back and apparently these new diesel engines -- with all their new gadgets to clean up the exhaust -- are still kinda dirty. I have a couple of ideas on how I may improve this situation ... but those can wait until a later date. For now I will just clean off the yuk every day or so.
We have now traveled a bit over 2,100 miles since leaving Merced and about 1,300 miles since leaving Tucson with WTT. We have a little under 1,600 miles left to go to get us back home. It has been nice seeing all the spring wildflowers along our trip and all the green leaves on the trees. But we are really getting excited about seeing springtime in New England and our kids/grandkids.
Ready or not -- here we come slowly!
Tonight the Maineiacs In Motion find themselves in the West Texas Oil Patch in Pecos, TX. We are staying in the Escapees TRA-Park RV Park in Pecos which is not much more than a gravel parking lot with full hookups. As with most of the RV Parks in this part of Texas, most of the spaces in the park are being used by oil field workers.
But let me back up a bit. We left Tucson on Thursday in the new Forza and drove about 200 or so miles to the Escapees Dream Catcher RV Park in Deming, NM. The trip went well with no issues while I was learning how the new equipment worked, how it handled out on the highway, what all the new sounds were all about, and we even managed to accomplish our first diesel fuel fillup without grabbing the wrong nozzle. I'd call day 1 a success.
We decided to take a day off from driving on Friday to do some grocery shopping and to accomplish some reorganizing of our "stuff" in some new bins we would pick up at the local WalMart. The other reason for taking a driving day off (a zero day) was to stay off the roads when the forecast high winds arrived ... which they did in the early afternoon, coming in from the west at about 30 mph with gusts over 40 mph. The parked Forza handled the winds fine with only the normal sounds of the dryer vent flapping in the breeze to annoy us at bedtime.
With our stuff reorganized a bit (still more to do) we hit the road this morning heading East again on I-10 ... through Las Cruces, NM, through El Paso, TX and into the stark West Texas landscape. The Forza purred along through it all. I guess I have enough data now to report that I like driving the Cummins/Allison combination! It is a bit odd not having the feedback of the engine noise to tell me how everything is running - I need to watch the tachometer and other gauges to see what's going on with the power plant - but it sure is nice to sit back and watch when approaching a long upgrade as the engine stays in high gear for much of the pull and almost imperceptibly downshifts to 5th and even 4th if and when it needs to ... without seeming to work overly hard to keep a relatively constant speed up the grade.
The wind was blowing from the west again pretty much all day today. I had to drive south for some of the day while going through El Paso so I had a pretty good crosswind. The Forza handled the crosswind pretty well -- but I did have to "stay up on the wheel" and keep a bit of steer into the wind to keep her in her own lane. I think it was a bit easier than the Adventurer would have been -- mostly due to the fact that the Forza is heavier.
Now for the really good news ... I filled up again here in Pecos and was happy to see we got 11.7 mpg. Now that may not seem great to some of ya'all ... but when you are used to averaging around 7 mpg ... that is reason for celebration. Now I do realize that we had a pretty decent tailwind, and there is always a bit of uncertainty when filling up to compare "full tank to full tank" ... but the initial news is pretty encouraging!
The weather to our east and north is looking pretty nasty at the moment with a long line of thunderstorms, hail, and even a few tornadoes stretching from just to our east to clear up into North Dakota. The front is supposed to slowly move east. I really do not want to get anywhere near such weather if I can avoid it ... so we are waiting until tomorrow morning to see if we are going to let it move further east before we move ... or if we feel we can safely make some more miles while keeping our distance.
If we decide to sit still - I'm sure we can find some way to get into trouble -- even in West Texas.
I know all of you have been waiting impatiently to find out how the 'buy a new motorhome' experience went. So I won't keep you waiting any longer ...
Peggy and I got Winne ready for her short trip to LaMesa RV early on Monday morning and we arrived a little early -- around 9:30 AM ish. The folks at LaMesa directed us to a convenient parking place and we went to smooze with the sales guys while they finished washing the new Forza. Once the wash job was complete they moved the Forza to a parking place under a huge cover and then directed us to park Winne under the same cover - Door-to-Door. We spent the next 3 or so hours going over all the Forza's systems with Tommy (our Walkthrough Guy) making notes of the deficiencies we noted and questions he didn't have answers for. Tommy was really very knowledgeable but there were a few things he had to go check on while we took the Forza out for a short test drive with Bill - the Sales Guy. The test drive went pretty well. I didn't hit anybody or anything -- and the Forza seemed to run and handle fine.
After our return, the LaMesa guys took the Forza into the shop to take care of a few items from the walkthrough while we hung out and had some lunch on LaMesa. I reckon you get a free lunch when you spend that much $$ on a new motorhome! After the Forza made it back next to Winne we reinspected the fixed items and made the decision to complete the deal and start the process of moving in.
We moved stuff for several hours before calling it quits around 8 and resting our weary bones. Since the food was still in Winne - we ate our last meal there before spending the night in our new bed in Winne The Two. After a short night's sleep due to a combination of sore bodies, noisy interstate right behind us, and a lousy new mattress -- we got back to work early Tuesday morning. It took most of the day - but we managed to get all our "Stuff" moved from Winne to WTT by the end of the day -- including swapping our "old" mattress for the uncomfortable one that came in WTT. We also got our new Wineguard Trav'ler satellite dish changed from Directv to Dish during the day after the parts arrived around noon. We finished signing all the paperwork Tuesday afternoon but decided to spend the night at LaMesa one more night.
I spent some time this morning getting the tire pressure sensors installed and then we took off around 11 AM to make our first trip -- all the way across the street - back to the Lazy Days KOA. I say "we" but Peggy actually followed in the car. After getting set up here at the KOA and dumping our grey tank which was getting pretty close to full, Peggy decided to give her new washer and dryer a full scale test while I moved on to getting the "towed brake actuation" wire installed on WTT so I would have indication when the Fusion's brakes were actuated by the Invisibrake system installed in the Fusion. That installation went well - but I must tell you that it is way easier to crawl under Winne than it is to crawl under WTT - not much ground clearance!
With that job complete, and a second shower of the day to clean off all the accumulated yuk, and a little relaxation under our new electric awnings, we decided to celebrate by taking each other out to dinner at our favorite Tucson eatery - Daisy Mae's Steakhouse. You just can't beat Daisy Mae's mesquite grilled ribs and steaks!
WTT First Impressions
So how do we like our new Forza? I reckon we like it just fine so far!
I like the fact that I don't have to fix all the things I knew were wrong with Winne ... and those things that I knew I needed to fix before they became a bigger issue!
I'm pretty sure I'm going to like the whole Cummins Turbodiesel, Allison 6 speed transmission, Air Brakes, Air Bag Suspension thing ... I'll report back on that after we get a few miles under our belts.
I like the new TVs, but a 48" TV in a RV living room!? -- Real overkill! Oh yeah -- I suppose the 30 something inch TV outside under the awning is a bit of overkill as well!
I like that we have a residential refrigerator instead of an electric/propane powered RV frig. But I think we need a few weeks experience traveling with the new frig to really pass judgement.
I'm pretty sure Peggy likes the new stacked washer/dryer setup. So far so good. Even the slight shake of the whole coach when the washer goes into its high speed spin isn't too bad!
I like all the basement storage. I still have a lot of organizing to do with our "stuff" down there ... but the good news is - it all fits ... even unorganized as it is.
Oh yeah .. I'm not much of a horn blower when driving ... but I pity anybody who has to suffer the blast of WTT's new twin Air Horns!
Even though we like all the above ... and more ... there are a few things that we don't care for ...
I don't like the fact that there is no hot water heater bypass valve. The valve is really only necessary when putting in RV antifreeze when winterizing the plumbing system ... but come on Winnebago ... that was a ridiculous way to save a few bucks.
And who's idea was it to not install an outside porch light? Another silly way to save a buck.
And who took the roof access ladder? I never liked going up there anyway ... but I still want a ladder ... what is going to hold up my flagpole?
We are still in the moving-in phase and there are plenty of things that we haven't quite figured out ... like where the heck do we keep the laundry hamper?, and where is the coffee maker going to go?, and how are we going to function without a dinette? My daughter calls these "1st World Problems." I'm pretty sure she is right and even more sure that we will figure it all out!
In the meantime ... I think it's time to get WTT and us back to Maine. So, in spite of all our 1st World Problems, we are going to get on I-10 tomorrow and point WTT East.
I'm not sure where we will end up tomorrow night ... but I know it will be an adventure.
Peggy and I said our goodbyes in Merced last Wednesday night and started on our return trip Thursday morning. On Thursday we drove down CA Route 99 to Route 58 East -- Took Route 58 to Barstow, CA where we transitioned to I-40 East and then traveled about 25 miles further east to the small town of Newberry Springs, CA where we stayed for the night at the Newberry Mountain Motel and RV Park right on the Mother Road ... Route 66.
Friday was another long travel day as we finished off California on I-40 and then to Kingman, AZ where we turned south on Route 93 towards Congress, AZ where we spent Friday night at the Escapees North Ranch RV Park once again. Although our Friday travels were uneventful (but long) we did run into a few rain squalls ... something we hadn't seen in many days!
We were back on the road Saturday morning with only 200 miles in front of us to our destination here in Tucson, AZ. It may have only been 200 miles but those miles included plenty of stop and go traffic in Surprise and Sun City, AZ ... and then there was the big city freeway traffic in Phoenix and here in Tucson. But alas -- we made it safe and sound. Since our main purpose for coming this way was to pick up our new motorhome (Winne the Two!) at La Mesa RV ... and since La Mesa RV is right across the street from Lazy Days RV and the Lazy Days - Tucson KOA -- that's where we decided to park for a couple of days.
After settling in for an hour or so we jumped in the Fusion and made the 5 minute drive over to La Mesa to check out our new rig. Although our "walk through" is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 we wanted to at least see it and check out a few things ahead of time. The rig hadn't been "detailed" yet and was still pretty dirty from its trip from Albuquerque ... but we got to check out the few things we were interested in, took a few measurements so we could figure out where some things were going to be stored, and left to have a really nice dinner at the local Texas Roadhouse Restaurant. Thanks for the gift cards NJ Gang!!
Although today was not a travel day we still got an early start and made it to the early service at the Tucson Mountain Baptist Church. After church we traveled back here to Winne where I completed several pre-trade-in chores I wanted to accomplish and Peggy got caught up on the laundry. Fortunately we got all our chores done in and around the several rain squalls that visited Tucson today. It may not rain often here in Tucson ... but they got their share today!
So tomorrow is the big day. If all goes according to plan - we will find Winne the Two to be acceptable for delivery, sign all the necessary papers, and start the process of transitioning all our "stuff."
The folks at La Mesa will be setting up a spot with power available so that we can park both rigs "door-to-door" so we won't have far to carry the stuff. Since I'm sure it will take us several hours to move our stuff -- we plan on staying overnight on the La Mesa lot tomorrow night.
Then things get a bit iffy. I got a call from our Service Manager last Thursday letting me know that they would not have the parts necessary to accomplish the Directv to Dish changeover until Wednesday. So ... we could just camp out on the La Mesa lot for a few days while we wait ... or we could leave with the new rig and make our way back here to the KOA for a few days. Right now I think we are planning to leave La Mesa on Tuesday - take a short joy ride somewhere - and then come back here to the KOA and play with our new "stuff" while we are waiting (patiently) for parts. My plan (hope) is to be able to hit the road heading east on Friday.
Although we are excited to get the new rig ... it is certainly bittersweet. Our 2003 Adventurer has treated us very well over the past 12 years. We purchased Winne in May of 2004. Although she was a 2003 model year coach she was still "new" with only 1745 delivery miles on her odometer. After we make the 1 mile trip over to La Mesa tomorrow Winne will have carried us 135,927 miles for a total on her odometer of 137,672 miles. She has traveled through all of the lower 48 states, made it from the Pacific to the Atlantic (about a dozen times), been into Canada, within a stones throw of Mexico, and traveled along the Gulf of Mexico. In all those miles she has never failed to get us where we were headed ... although we changed where we were headed several times. She has protected us from snow, sleet, rain, winds, and even a few (too) close tornadoes.
Remember that first shakedown trip all the way to the Augusta-Gardiner (Maine) KOA?
Or how about that first trip to New Jersey?
First Coast-To-Coast trip with Nan after Mikees 1st retirement?
Certainly have been a lot of great memories!
Well Done Winne ... you deserve a nice retirement in Arizona!
Well here we still are ... hanging out in Merced, CA out amongst the almond and pistachio groves where the days are sunny with daytime temps in the 70s/80s and nighttime temps in the mid 50s ... not too shabby!
We have spent most of our time here in Merced visiting and helping out around the house - but we did manage to get in a day trip to Yosemite National Park on Saturday. Before heading out on our adventure we met Carol and Kendrah at a local Park to watch Kendrah and her soccer team play a rousing game on a lovely morning. Then we loaded up the Fusion with an ice chest full of picnic supplies and headed east to the El Portal Gate of the Park. It was a very pretty drive through the farmland of the San Joaquin Valley and then the green and gold foothills of the Sierra's with lots of blooming wildflowers including large patches of California Golden Poppies. Springtime in California can be gorgeous.
We entered the park around 1 PM and made our way to our first traffic jam at Bridal Veil Falls. Once we inched our way into the parking lot and were fortunate enough to snag a parking space -- life was better. We made the short walk over to the falls and, along with hundreds of other tourists, were treated to a truly gorgeous natural beauty. When Peggy and I last visited here in the fall of 2006 there was barely any water coming over the cliff -- not this time! After getting fairly wet at the base of the falls we made our way back to the parking lot and enjoyed our picnic.
It didn't take too long after getting back on the main Park Loop Road to realize that the last Saturday of Easter School Vacation Week was probably not the best day to visit here ... assuming you wanted to be able to park anywhere -- except on the roadway waiting for the car in front of you to move a few feet at a time. Now I don't want you to think we didn't enjoy ourselves -- because we did enjoy the beauty of the area and the fantastic falls -- but WOW were there a lot of PEOPLE there!
Our time here in the Golden State is about to draw to a close We have enjoyed our time here with Carol and Kendrah and hopefully we have been more help than hindrance ... but it is just about time to head home.
Our plan is to leave here on Thursday and backtrack to Tucson, Arizona to pickup our new wheels. I figure it will take us three travel days to make it to Tucson so we should make it there on Saturday. Then I figure the Fun/Stress will set in as we deal with more RV sales and service folks. The new rig is supposed to be ready for inspection/delivery on Monday ... but I'll believe that when I see it. Just call me a skeptic ... but we are dealing with RV salesfolk here people!
Once all that fun is complete we will hit the road once again - heading East -- destination Maine! I still hope to be back in Vacationland by the 1st of May ... but that will depend a lot on how next week's adventure turns out.
As is tradition here on the MIM Blog ... being at the westward terminus of a trip requires a few of Mikee's informative but mostly useless trip statistics. So here goes ...
1. Our westward journey from Maine took a total of 25 days with 15 of those being travel days.
2. We traveled 4,061 miles on the westward leg of the trip ... so we averaged 270 miles per travel day. With rest stops thrown in, I figure we average around 50 mph while traveling ... so that's about 5-6 hours travel per day for you folks who think in terms of time and not distance when traveling!
3. We filled up Winne with Regular Gasoline 14 times during the trip at an average cost of $1.69 per gallon ... and averaged just under $0.25 per mile. With all the headwinds traveling west we averaged right about 6.9 mpg for the westward leg. We typically average around 7.2 mpg for a round trip. It's going to be interesting to see how the new diesel powered rig will compare. Although diesel fuel can be cheaper than regular in some places here in the west - it is generally more expensive .... but I figure we will get bout 2 mpg better fuel mileage ... so it will be interesting to see how the cost per mile compares.
4. We have now stayed in 293 different RV Parks during our travels. I can remember most ... and most are good memories ... some are just "memorable."
5. Peggy and I have "lived" in Winne for 1170 nights over the past 10 or so years since I retired. I figure we should add about another 100 days of use before I retired and then another 100 or so days of use for me while I was still figuring out how to retire.
Here's hoping we get at least as much use/enjoyment out of the new one!
Time once again for a Maineiacs in Motion catch up ..
We arrived here at our westward destination near Merced, CA last Saturday after an almost uneventful short driving day up Route 99 from Bakersfield. I say "almost" since I had to take a few minutes at a rest stop to repair one of Winne's slide out toppers (the cover that extends over the slideout when it is pushed out) that was starting to pull out of its channel where it attaches to the motorhome sidewall. The repair was fairly simple as all I had to do was push it back in the channel -- but it involved getting out the ladder we carry from it's storage location which is sort of a pain. Maybe somebody told Winne about her pending retirement to Arizona and she didn't like the idea!
Our first 3 nights here we stayed at the very small RV facility at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, CA. The Museum has lots of old military airplanes on display on the site of the former Castle Air Force Base including the once super secret SR-71 Blackbird spy plane that used to fly out of Castle. When staying at the RV Park you are given one free pass to the Museum -- and this was our second time staying there -- but we still haven't visited! We have been pretty busy since we arrived -- but we still may make it over before we depart.
We were able to reserve a full hookup site at Castle for 3 nights but we were going to have to move to a Water/Electric site for the remainder of our stay so we checked out the local Elks Club Park a little closer to Merced. The Elks have built a very nice park here out in the countryside and will let non-members stay -- so we decided to give that a try. Our site is still Water/Electric only but they have a nice dump station available that will work fine when we have to dump tanks.
We have been visiting with Peggy's sister Carol and her granddaughter Kendrah daily after Carol gets home from work. In addition to our visits - Peggy has been treating them to some of her great cooking and I have been playing Mr. Fixit on several repair jobs that needed doing around the house. I know you are amazed that Peggy remembered how to cook after that stretch of eating out almost everyday as we traveled west ... but let me assure you she still knows how!
We have continued to work on the details of our new motorhome purchase. The financing part is done and the rig has been moved from Albuquerque to Tucson. Yesterday we received a call from our assigned "Service Advisor" - the fellow responsible for getting the Forza all prepped and ready for delivery. We have scheduled an appointment on April 13th for our "Delivery Inspection."
One of the options that comes with our Forza is a roof mounted automatic satellite dish. We find that our portable Tailgator Satellite dish works well for us and I wouldn't have gone out of my way to order the automatic dish -- but since it comes with the rig -- and it's a pretty expensive option -- we might as well use it! When talking to the Service Advisor I found out that the installed dish is for Directv service and we use Dish service ... so he is seeing what they can do to convert it to "Dish."
The Forza comes with 4 large Group 31 12 Volt DC Coach Batteries ... but has space available to mount 2 more. Since this rig has a residential refrigerator that must have 120 Volts AC available in order to operate (no propane capability like our present frig) - they provide a 2000 Watt inverter to power the frig from the Coach DC power system when not connected to "shore power" and not running the generator. I doubt we will need to operate "off the grid" for very long but I know that if 4 Batteries are good -- then 6 Batteries have to be better! That being the case - and since now would be the best time to add additional batteries to the existing battery bank -- I plan on seeing how much more they want to do this modification.
Our plan is to get back to Tucson a day or two before our "Delivery Inspection" day to do our own detailed inspection prior to acceptance and then I suspect we will stay overnight at their facility for at least one day/night as we transfer all our "stuff" over to the Forza. I think we will then stay another day or two in the Tucson area living in the rig and making sure it and we are ready for travel before heading east.
Speaking of "the Forza" ... we need a better name. How about "WinneToo", or "WinneTwo", or maybe we just stick with "Winne"? All suggestions will be duly considered.
We still have lots of visiting and chores to accomplish in our remaining days here in Merced - and we may even throw in a day trip over to Yosemite National Park.
One thing for sure ... these Maineiacs are staying in Motion.
We left North Ranch at a leisurely 9:30 AM and headed northwest. We drove north to Kingman along Route 93 and then west along good ol' I-40 to the Colorado River and into California. The small town of Needles is right on the border and we decided we would call it quits for the day right there in Needles. Another uneventful day. The fuel mileage wasn't so great as we spent the day with lots of hill climbing and descending -- and it was all into the wind.
We awoke way too early this morning and since we were awake we got a little earlier start for our drive today across the Mojave Desert, over the Tehachapi Mountains, and into the San Joaquin Valley here in Bakersfield. We stayed here in Bakersfield back in 2010 and we both enjoyed our stay at the Orange Grove RV Park ... so we decided to do it again. The Park is right off Route 58 and on the edge of a real Orange Grove with rows of Orange Trees within the park. If you are here during "the season" they issue you special orange picking tools and you are free to pick all the oranges you want. Orange picking season is over and the blossoms are now on the trees so we are simply enjoying the amazing scent!
And now for the news you have all been anticipating. Well ... maybe you were ... maybe you weren't!
Although we walked away from the motorhome salesmen back in Tucson last week ... we left the door open enough for further negotiations which have been ongoing by phone over the last several days.
Our Winne has served us well over these last 12 years and about 137,000 miles ... but she is starting to feel and show her age. Nothing is majorly wrong with her at the moment, and I suspect she can make the trip back without issue but she does complain from time to time.
Now ... deciding to buy a replacement rig after owning a rig like our Adventurer is no easy task. We have grown used to her and sorta like what she is and what she can do. Shopping for a new rig leads to comparing everything to what Winne has and how the new rig will or won't stack up. We like this feature ... we don't necessarily like that feature.
After considering all the pros and cons, pluses and minuses, good things and not-so-good things .... we have decided to take the plunge and buy a new rig.
We have chosen to purchase a 2016 Winnebago Forza 34T.
The Forza is Winnebago's entry level Diesel Pusher (meaning the engine is in the back and "pushes" rather than "pulls" the motorhome. The 34T is 1 inch shorter than our present rig, is powered by a 340 HP Cummins Turbo Diesel through a 6 speed Allison Transmission, and has two slides.
Look at all the new gauges and switches I have to figure out!
Not to mention getting used to air brakes and not being able to hear the engine!
We opted for the U shaped lounge instead of the more traditional loveseat and dinette.
The lounge sits across from the entry door and the TV/Entertainment System and the fireplace
Next comes the kitchen area that includes a convection microwave oven, 3 burner propane stove, and a residential type refrigerator. Sorry for the fuzzy image.
And then there's the stacked washer and dryer. That will be a new experience for us!
The bathroom is pretty much the same as what we have now.
Once again -- sorry for the fuzzy image.
And the bedroom ...
The pictures above are of the actual unit we will be buying which is presently located in Albuquerque but will be taken to Tucson, AZ where we hope to pick it up in a few weeks.
In the meantime ... we are one short drive away from our destination near Merced and our visits with Peggy's sister Carol and her granddaughter Kendrah.
I need lots of time to figure out how all this new stuff is supposed to work anyway!
First, the good news. I saw a dentist here in Wickenburg on Monday morning. He pretty much immediately told me my tooth was "dying" and needed a root canal procedure performed. He took care of the initial rooting out of the canal, gave me a prescription for some antibiotics and required that I come back on Wednesday to at least finish up the root canal procedure. With the nerve gone from that tooth - the pain was gone as well. I returned this morning to have him finish up sealing the work he had done on Monday and then decided to have him go ahead and put a crown on the tooth. Did you know you can get a crown fitted, built, and installed in one day? I didn't until this week. With high tech 3D scanners and computerized 3D milling machines they can make a replacement ceramic crown, fire it, install it, and you are out the door in less than two hours. Whodathunkit!
All you have to do is write a big number on a check!
Since we got to stay here for a couple of extra days waiting to get all that done I was able to wash a few thousand miles of dirt off Winne and we also got to enjoy one more great Happy Hour and Feast over to Jim and Ellie's place. On Monday Jim smoked up a excellent beef shoulder roast. The meat was melt in your mouth mesquite flavored wonderful! Thank goodness my tooth pain was gone so I really got to enjoy it!
Yesterday (Tuesday) we did a little shopping in Wickenburg and then drove over to Prescott Tuesday night to visit with some old friends from Maine who moved here back in the 90s - Linda and Larry Fuegan. Linda and Larry have a very beautiful home in the hills surrounding Prescott Valley where we were treated to a great meal, fun conversation, and a tour of Larry's workshop where he creates some beautiful works of art in the form of knives, spurs, and other western type items. Larry's shop includes a forge room for forging steel for his knives and other pieces, a space for doing all the carving/engraving, and a room for doing his leather work. Seeing where Larry does his magic was an extra added attraction added to a fun visit with a great couple.
As a really special treat Larry presented us with a Special Tool created in his workshop. When used by a trained technician this tool can open just about any bottle of capped beverage with ease. Even more special - this particular tool started life as a shoe on Larry's very own horse and contains the Fuegan Makers Mark. This one's a keeper for sure!
So with our visit here at North Ranch just about over we plan on hitting the road again tomorrow morning - destination California. We have about 600 miles left to go on our westward leg and could do it in two days - but I think we are going to stretch it to three.
Ya'all will have to stay tuned to see what trouble these Maineiacs can get into when in the Golden State .... and whether or not they return to Maine with the same equipment as when they left!
Once Again ... time to catch you all up on our doings since we last left you back in the great state of Texas.
After finishing up our stay in Kerrville we set sails west along I-10 once again - destination Fort Stockton, TX about 250 miles away. The drive through West Texas was the normal wind in our face, generally uphill, fuel mileage killing, drive -- through miles and miles of beautiful Texas scrub brush, with nary a critter in sight. But it was "all good" as we arrived safe and sound at our destination at the Fort Stockton RV Park in time for a BBQ rib dinner at the on-site Roadrunner Cafe. Not bad cookin' either.
After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast at the Roadrunner Cafe once again -- we continued on west on Wednesday - through downtown El Paso (always a driving experience) and finished up Texas as we settled in for the evening in Anthony, NM -- just north of the Texas border. Now the RV Park in Anthony isn't the fanciest in the nation but has several things going for it. 1) It's not in El Paso, 2) It's convenient off I-10, 3) It's relatively inexpensive for a long pull through 50 Amp Full Hook Up site -- especially with an Escapees discount, and 4) It's sorta near Chope's restaurant in La Mesa, NM.
After getting settled in we were joined by some dear family friends, Sandy and Reed Kimzy (also part time RVers) and we all made the trip over to Chope's for some fantastic and very authentic Mexican food. I ate too much ... but what are you going to do when it all looks so good and you have to try it all! Enchilada, Tamale, Chile Relleno, sopapilla ... it was all great stuff!
It was back on the road again on Thursday - heading west again - but this time in the Mountain Time Zone. But then we changed time zones again once as we entered Arizona - which is on Mountain Time normally but changes to Pacific Time when the nation decides to save daylight. All very confusing isn't it!
We landed at the Pima County Fairgrounds - just east of Tucson -around 2 PM local time. After recovering from our driving day - and since there just happened to be a "RV show" going on at the fairgrounds - we decided to walk over and check it out. It wasn't really a "RV Show" -- it was just the local LaMesa RV Dealership showing their wares -- but it's always fun to kick tires -- so we did.
Well one thing led to another and next thing you know we were looking at a new 2016 Winnebago Forza 34T motorhome. The 34T has a very similar floorplan to our present 2003 Adventurer 35U - is basically the same length (within an inch) and is powered by a 340 HP Turbocharged Cummins Diesel engine / 6 speed Allison Transmission / Air Brakes / Exhaust brake -- you know -- all the fancy stuff that the Big Boy Diesel Pusher motorhomes have!
Peggy and I both liked the rig itself -- but not the colors of the interior. Too dark - and too green! We looked at a somewhat larger Forza and liked some of the interior colors better - but not the floorplan. So we retired back to good ol' Blue and White Winne for the evening
We were planning on spending an extra day in Tucson anyway - so I walked back over to the Show on Friday to check out a few more details I hadn't looked at on Thursday. I guess I was getting a little more serious! To make a long story short ... the rest of the day was spent checking out the Forza, taking a test drive, and doing the negotiations dance with a minimum of four salesmen. When all was said and done on Friday - they just didn't have (and could not get from one of their other locations) a rig that would fit all our wants and needs. So we said thanks but no thanks and drove off to have a nice dinner of mesquite smoked baby back ribs at our favorite Tucson eatery - Daisy Mae's Steakhouse. We did however get one more phone call from a salesman on our way to dinner. I turned down that offer by email.
Oh -- but we weren't done yet! While getting Winne ready for travel the next morning I got another call from the salesman who just had to show me one more motorhome that was "gently used" - had more "stuff," and was listed for even less $$. I looked - said "no thanks" and we hit the road again -- headed north.
All-in-all I guess it was an interesting experience. We found a motorhome that might fit the bill if we do decide to get another one, we found out what ballpark the $$ will be need to be in, and it didn't cost us a dime - yet.
We pulled in here at the Escapee North Ranch RV Park in Congress, AZ, just north a bit from Wickenburg, AZ, around 2 PM yesterday, rested up for a bit, and then headed over for Happy Hour at Jim and Ellie Meacham's place here at North Ranch. Mike and Pat McFall joined us and the Meachams for Happy Hour and a dinner of burgers and brats expertly grilled by Jim. Once again - we were saved from starvation by a fantastic dinner provided by one of our RV friends. Oh Bye The Way --- Peggy actually did cook our dinner tonight. Just wanted it clear that we don't eat out every night while traveling!
Now for the not-so-good news. Somehow over the last few days I have managed to damage one of my teeth. It hurts like heck if I put any pressure on it and I suspect it is cracked, or I lost a filling, or ... who knows. All I know for sure is ... it probably isn't going to fix itself and it needs to be fixed soon. So ... I managed to get an appointment tomorrow AM at a local dentist recommended by Jim Meacham.
Here's hoping he can fix it!
Yesterday we drove about 180 miles and ended up here in Kerrville, TX about 50 or so miles northwest of San Antonio. After we settled in after our relatively short driving day we decided to drive over to Fredericksburg for some good authentic German cuisine for Linner. Once again we settled on Der Lindenbaum ... a nice restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg that has very good food and certainly has the German heritage Fredericksburg atmosphere. Peggy had some sort of pork dish that I can't spell or pronounce and I had the 3 sausage special that includes bratwurst, brauenwurst, and some other kind of wurst. Needless to say - we left full!
Today was a planned "Zero" Day. No raising jacks, no bouncing down the interstate, and no miles. It has been an absolutely gorgeous Texas Hill Country Day with temps probably near 80 degrees after a nighttime low of around 42 degrees. Great sleeping weather and great sit outside and soak up the sun weather!
We are spending our time here in Kerrville at the Buckhorn Lake RV Resort. We have stayed elsewhere here in Kerrville in the past ... at places that aren't nearly as resort-like as here at Buckhorn -- but we decided to treat ourselves this time. Actually, we stayed here at Buckhorn on our last trip through because we wanted to meetup with some RV friends who we knew were staying here -- Paul and Mary Witwer. We were pleasantly surprised earlier this afternoon when Mary Witwer saw our rig here while on her afternoon walk and came over for a short chat! Although we weren't aware that they were here ... it seems she and Paul are staying here again for a few months! A nice surprise and an added bonus for a somewhat last minute decision on our part.
I spent a few hours this morning catching up on some Winne chores. Readjust the tire pressures down since they were last filled in Maine when the temp was 40 degrees, clean up a few electrical connections on things like our shore power connection and the umbilical cord that feeds brake/turn signal power to the Fusion, and charge some refrigerant into Winne's dash Air Conditioning System. I had to do that last summer as well so the system obviously has a small leak and will require recharging every so often. The usual suspect on a unit with over 135,000 miles would be the compressor seal - but as long as a recharge once a year keeps getting the job done - that will work for me! A bunch easier than replacing the A/C compressor!
Tomorrow we plan on continuing west along I-10 to our normal stopping point in Fort Stockton at the Fort Stockton RV Park. It looks like yet another night of eating out as we always like the Roadrunner Cafe right in the park itself. And then the next night we plan on stopping in Anthony, NM where Chope's Bar and Grill is located in nearby La Mesa, NM -- some really great authentic Mexican Food. And then there is Tucson, AZ where we have several favorite restaurants. I guess there is no denying that we tend to travel the USA from restaurant to restaurant!
This trip will be the 12th time We and Winne have made the trek from Maine to the Pacific Time Zone and back (I do have to count one trip that had a western terminus in Arizona ... but they never change to Daylight Savings Time ... so it counts - sorta). I guess that explains why Winne knows the way.
After spending some time visiting with Norm and Linda Payne a few days ago swapping RV travel stories I realize that we are mere babes when it comes to RV travel. But I do recall our first trip "out west" way back in 2005 (hard to believe that was 11 years go!). I recall:
- Using Delorme Street Atlas software on our laptop sitting on a console between the seats for our navigation assistance. But we still relied heavily on our Rand McNally paper atlas.
- Being able to connect to the internet using WIFI at only a few campgrounds. And the reliability of using campground WIFI hasn't improved much!
- Towing my daughter's Saturn SL-1 as our "TOAD." She didn't mind having our Chrysler 300M as her ride for those few months.
- Planning on 350 mile travel days. Although we still may do that from time to time, our plans are to shoot for closer to 250 miles nowadays.
- Being awed by my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Still on the top of my Awesome Sight list.
- Learning how to find Flying Js -- and how to maneuver the RV islands once there.
- Learning how to cope with fuel stops that weren't Flying Js!
- Experiencing our first "breakdown" on the road. We weren't really "broken down" -- but we definitely needed to get Winne's Throttle Control Actuator replaced before continuing on past our stop at the Grand Canyon.
Those were certainly the good old days.
But these days aren't too bad either!
So ... we left not-so-bright but early on Friday morning from the Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL. It started to sprinkle a bit as we rolled out of town, was a light rain as we entered Mobile, AL, turned into a downpour just west of Mobile, and rained pretty hard and steady all the way to Baton Rouge, LA. From Baton Rouge west it was a pretty nice day! Just as planned!
We spent the night near Lafayette, LA last night and hit the road again heading west this morning around 9:30 AM. It rained a bit this morning but nothing like the rain we had on Friday! Most of the miles along I-10 through Louisiana and into Texas were nice and dry with temps in the low to mid 70s. Oh by the way ... if you ever find yourselves traveling into Texas from Louisiana along I-10 ... take a break at the Texas Information Center / Rest Stop. They have a really nice boardwalk nature trail through the nearby swamp with some great opportunities to see beautiful shore birds, snakes, turtles, alligators, and other such creatures that inhabit the swamps of this country.
We are spending the night tonight in Columbus, TX ... about 120 miles east of San Antonio, TX along I-10. It appears we have outrun the "unsettled" weather for now and I am hoping to have a all sunny travel day tomorrow. As for tomorrow's destination? ... I think we have decided to drive on up to Kerrville, TX about 50 miles west of San Antonio. We plan on taking at least one day off from our westward travels after reaching Kerrville. Since one of our favorite BBQ joints nationwide just happens to be in Kerrville ... I reckon we will have to visit Bill's BBQ while we are there ... and then one of our favorite German restaurants is just a bit north in Fredericksburg, TX ... so a trip to Der Lindenbaum may also be In Order before we set sails west once again!
We have traveled just over 2,200 miles so far on our trip west and I figure we have about 1,800 miles left to go on the westward leg. Winne has performed well so far ... and I plan on keeping her well fed with 87 Octane for the rest of the trip! As long as the price of gasoline is going to remain around $1.60 or so per gallon - keeping Winne's PPM (Price Per Mile) under 25 cents ... then everybody will be happy!
Oh yeah ... I guess we also have to "Spring Ahead" tonight. Does that mean I lose an hours sleep? Nah .... just a later start to our gypsy travels than normal ... no big deal.
See ya at the next stop!
As advertised, we pulled into the Escapee Rainbow Plantation on Sunday early afternoon. Our Saturday travel from Heiskell, TN ended just south of Birmingham, AL where we spent Saturday evening which made for a easy 240 mile drive into Summerdale on Sunday. Both travel days were nice weather-wise and Winne continued to purr right along. In fact - it was warm enough to break out my short pants in Birmingham and again here in Summerdale. Upon our arrival were were greeted by Gary Smart and his wife Millie who manage the place in the winter months and by Don Martin who happened to be biking by. Its always nice to pull into a place you haven't been in a year and be greeted by friends!
After settling in for a few hours we decided to have dinner out at one of our favorite spots here in Lower Alabama -- Big Daddy's Grill on the Fish River.
As always -- the grilled gulf shrimp were really yummy! We may have to get back again before we head west. After dinner we made our way back to the Plantation and over to the clubhouse for the Ice Cream Social where we got to visit with some more dear friends we have met here in the past including Larry ("the Cook") and Babs Cameron.
Peggy and I got a good nights sleep on Sunday night into Monday morning and still managed to make it out to breakfast at the Foley Coffee Shop. The Foley Coffee Shop is nothing special as far as the food (although it is pretty good) but you can't beat it for small town diner atmosphere where I'm sure most everybody knows everybody and everybody's business.
The rest of Monday was spent getting Winne scrubbed clean on the outside, accomplishing a few minor items on the project list (always something to fix after driving a 12 year old motorhome down the road for 1,500 or so miles), and a short visit with Don and Gloria Martin.
Today was another decent day weather-wise with temps making it into the 70s -- but the wind picked up from the south bringing a bunch of moisture and clouds up from the Gulf. As I feared from earlier forecasts it looks like the Gulf states (especially Louisiana and Eastern Texas) are in for a real drenching over the next few days with some strong thunderstorms thrown-in for good measure. Unfortunately for us -- that's right where we are heading. That being the case, and since I don't like driving this High Profile Vehicle in windy, rainy, strong thunderstormy weather, I think we will sit still for a few days ... at least until the extent of any flooding is known and the winds die down a bit.
I reckon the delay gives us more time to get back to Big Daddy's and maybe over to the fish market to pick up some gulf shrimp .... you know ... provisions ... for the long trip west to the granola state.
The wind wasn't too bad on Wednesday and the weather in southern Virginia was forecast to be rather winterish on Thursday so we decided to drive on through to the Escapee Raccoon Valley RV Park in Heiskell, TN. Our driving day was uneventful once again.
Yesterday (Thursday) we enjoyed our first non-travel day on this trip by sleeping-in and getting a relaxed start to our day. Peggy wanted to weigh-in at Weight Watchers so we found a location in Knoxville to get that accomplished and then of course -- we had to celebrate her successful week by having lunch out at an O'Charley's restaurant. We chose O'Charley's for no particular reason and although it was OK ... but it wasn't worthy of a rave review either. After lunch we returned to Winne and settled-in for the rest of the day/night.
We got another slow start to our day again this morning and then had a great lunch-visit with Gene and Judi Curp who live nearby in Maryville, TN and Darrell and Judy Patterson who drove all the way over from Crossville, TN to join the bunch of us. We always enjoy meeting up with our RV friends on our travels and seldom have enough time for a proper visit ... as was the case this time. I think we really need to make this area a destination stop in the near future so we can "do-it-right!"
Tomorrow we plan on getting back on the road - heading south by southeast along I-75 to Chattanooga and then I-59 to wherever we end up. On Sunday we hope to roll into the Escapee Rainbow Plantation RV Park in Summerdale, AL for a few more days of R&R before striking out west along I-10.
When we head further west from Summerdale remains the question. I was planning to head west mid-week next week but the weather in the TX-LA-AL area looks to be pretty wet and wild around then -- so as always we'll keep a sharp weather-eye out and go when the conditions allow.
If the weather requires us to stay put in LA (Lower Alabama) for a few extra days then I suppose I'll just have to find more shrimp or BBQ to keep me going!
And oh Bye-The-Way ... Winne's new Koni shock absorbers are working great! The improvement was not as dramatic as when I first installed Koni's about 100,000 miles ago ... but the difference is quite noticeable. No more excess bouncing when hitting those road transitions (especially bad in the northeast), less body lean on cornering, and less reaction when getting passed by those big 18 Wheelers. Thanks to Koni's lifetime warranty the only cost to me was shipping the old shocks back to Koni for evaluation. Buying relatively expensive high quality equipment and getting high value with good service don't always go together ... but I give Koni pretty high marks in this case.
So here we are ... day two of our 2016 Winter/Spring travel adventure is behind us and we find ourselves in Natural Bridge, VA. I had originally planned a shorter travel day ending in Staunton, VA but I decided to hedge my bet a little by driving a bit further south. Tonight a string of strong storms is due to move through this area from southwest to northeast including strong winds in the 20-25 MPH range with gusts to 50 mph. Since Winne is what you call a "high profile vehicle" and since I don't really like driving Winne in strong headwinds or crosswinds -- we may decide to sit tomorrow out. If we sit still here tomorrow we can still make it to the Knoxville area on Thursday as originally planned. If the weather isn't too bad by late morning we may make a few more miles along I81 tomorrow ... but we'll leave that decision to tomorrow.
Our travels yesterday were long ... but uneventful -- always a good day in my book! Today's trip was much shorter at around 270 miles, but also uneventful. Have I ever told you all that I really like it when stuff works the way it's supposed to?!
Today is March 1st - Super Tuesday for you political junkies. If the Republican primary elections go as the polls predict, Donald Trump will receive most of the delegates to be decided today. I remain extremely disappointed that "The Donald" has received as many delegates as he has these last few weeks and am prepared to be even further disappointed this evening. If the results go as the polls predict - I expect to be an Ex-Republican tomorrow and will be available to whatever political party is available to me that 1) doesn't have Socialism in its economic platform and 2) doesn't have Donald Trump as its presumptive nominee. My friend Jim Meacham provided me with a potential new Party on Facebook earlier today ... the "Cocktail Party." I think this may be my best bet of all ... and I'm sure AA will still be there in 4 more years when I need them!
So here's to the Cocktail Party .... as long as the Vodka holds out!
