A nice bike,a beautiful kitchen - opening packages....PRICELESS!

Isn't funny what a two year old considers exciting at Christmas? We got her a nice bike, her mom and dad a nice kitchen, what did she want to play with? Opening everyone's presents - priceless! She even cried on Santa's lap.

More pictures on the way,this is a quick post from my phone.

Hello Santa..we're almost there!

Tuesday, Dec. 20th.   Just two more days before we leave to head to the stepson's for Christmas.  This will be a great trip home for a week.  Family, then on to friends for a couple of days to see Larry and Ruth Ann.  They are some of our best friends, who also ride a Gold Wing motorcycle.  They are coming down to Texas for a month to spend time out and about with us as we travel around to see the valley.

In preparation for leaving on Thursday, everyone has been asking us if we are packed yet?  What's with this?  We always pack either the night before or the day of a trip.  Doesn't take us long.  We did do a dry run with our puppy though.  Took him to a neighbors house to do a sleep over last night.  She is going to keep him for us while we are gone so we both thought it would be nice for him to try a night so she would know what to expect.  But I must say - he is the best behaved dog I have ever had.

I just know he is going to miss us when we are gone.  He will sit like this for hours looking at me waiting for me to give him a command, play ball or ask him to sit on my lap.  He is a blonde Cocker Spaniel at 2.5 years and EVERYONE in the park loves him as he is so friendly, never barks and is well behaved.

I think our biggest problem will be in the transition from 70 degree weather to snow and cold in one day.  At least it will feel like Christmas.  Can't wait to see grand daughter number 6, she's two and a real bowl of energy.  Here's a picture of her fashion choices for yesterday:

I just love the idea of wearing your boots all day just in the hopes of going outside to play in the snow.  See you soon Claire....

Where's the beef?

Texas... the name is synonymous in my mind with cowboy movies showing the long cattle drives.  In fact we visited  the largest cattle farm - King Ranch last year.  And as you travel the roads to get to the RGV (Rio Grand Valley) you pass ranch after ranch, miles and miles of cattle.

So you would think that Texas has great beef, wouldn't you?  Well not so much!  I don't know why but I think the explanation has to be that the cattle are on so much of a subsistence living, i.e. living on scrub brush and thistle grass, that they never can put on enough muscle and fat to be good meat.  We haven't found any good steaks while here.  So this year we brought a freezer full of steaks with us.  Maybe we'll get more when we come to PA for Christmas if we have room.

One of our past times while here is bicycle riding.  As we said in an earlier blog, the rear tire on my Sun trike was destroyed on the way here.  But do not dismay, for a couple of hundred dollars it can be made all well!  So that was done last week and now I can run around to my hearts content on my tricycle!  That is all around the five RV parks that make up our complex.  You don't want to go out on the roads here - too many O.F.'s on the road.  They'd run over you and never see you..ha ha ha ha.  Went out the other night to look at the Christmas lights in the parks, some of the trailers and park units are really decorated to the hilt. But again almost got hit by one of the OF's from Canada driving on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!  All he said as he passed me was "Je suis désolé! " (Sorry)

Good news for us - our house closed on Thursday, Dec. 15th...... and we didn't even have to be there!  We did all the paperwork before we left PA back in early November, so the agent went to oversee that everything was filed properly and the monies were deposited into our account.  So sorry to say we are no longer South Dakota residents who owned PA property but now we are S.D. residents who have NO fixed location.  So the RV is truly our home.  And we are enjoying it. Probably the worst part of living in it is the emptying of the tanks about every 4  or 5 days. That and having to move stuff in the basement when you want something.  Other than that it's great.

Speaking of the home, 5th wheel, RV, we woke up to cold water last week.  We were using the electric hot water heater and for some reason it wasn't working to I had a cold shower.  Since I figured out the electric heater wasn't working, I flipped it to propane.  Guess who had a nice warm shower?  Oh, she deserves it I guess.

We have been going to Alejandro's on Fridays for lunch.  This restaurant has a sea food buffet that we love - Gulf shrimp any way you like it.  Had gone in the evening with my Mom and stepdad along with Jim and Annette from Keokuk, Iowa (I am an Iowa boy after all).  Last week we went at lunch to the second location by our selves, it was even better.  Today we are going to go with Morris and Judy, a couple from Missouri who are living on the street over from ours.  We met last year because their Corkie  would bark at Cory when we walked by.

That brings us up to date.  On Thursday we will be flying back to PA for Christmas so we will be seeing all of our friends there after Christmas.   Hope all of you reading this have a very Merry Christmas.  Remember  - Jesus is the reason for the season.

Whoa - were not in Kansas any more!

After getting home from the USS Lexington we settled in for the night, or so we thought.  A cold front moved through at about 7PM and the wind kicked up.  No we were right on the Gulf of Mexico, maybe 200 yards away.  No trees to block the wind.  It started out about 20 MPH and worked it's way to about 40 sustained and 50 or 60 gusts.  Not only did the trailer rock and roll but the wind carried salt spray onto the truck, trailer and motorcycle!  Got up  to crusted vehicles, the mirrors were so covered I couldn't get them cleaned even with fresh water running on to them!

Bonnie was so intimidated by the wind she wanted to go to a motel or else head for home!  I agreed we should head to our Texas home so called and canceled where we were supposed to go.  So we decided not to head to South Padre but instead make our way to our winter Texas home.  Sunday afternoon we pulled into our spot in the resort here in Mission, Tx.  Safe and sound, no more wind and no salt spray, and wife complaining about the wind (priceless)!

Last night we went to "Jammin" at the rec center.  People come from all over the Valley to play and sing in a country jam session.  Guitars, banjo's, mandolins, harmonica's and nasal singing galore!  Renewed some acquaintances with some friends and my mom and step dad.    We're here and looking forward to a quiet, restful and warm winter!  More as it unfolds these next weeks.

All hear this - mess is being served on the quarter deck!

High light of today was a visit to CV-2, the USS Lexington, the very first training aircraft carrier.  It is an Essex class WWII aircraft carrier. it served from 1943 - 1947 then again from 1955 to 1991.

Many aircraft were on board, from WWII to an F-18.  The hanger deck was full of displays and aircraft too.

this F-14 was on loan from Pensacola.  We went to a movie on the hanger deck about the fighter pilots of the Navy.  So all told it was a great site seeing day.

For lunch we went to Joe's Crab Shack and split a KJ steamer.  The meal was very good - mussels, scallops and king crabs with corn and potatoes.  We had desert too.  I had a decadent chocolate cake and Bonnie had Turtle Sundae, both larger than either of us could eat. 

On the way back we ran into some light rain.  Not bad but enough it had Bonnie worried.  A quick stop at the commissary and we were back at the trailer. 

Moving South

After we left Tuscaloosa, we traveled to West KOA in New Orleans.  It is located in a residential area, nice park but not much scenery.  I would recommend this park if you like: cramped sites, low hanging wires (I hit some at 13'6" that shouldn't happen) and you want to see N'Orleen. 

Uneventful trip the next day?  Well it rained, but we did make it to Gulf Coast RV Park in Beaumont, Tx.  Now this is a nice park!  Cheap (at $17 per night) with nice plots, wide streets and free continental breakfast.  The high light of our stay was the Beaumont Fire Museum.  Outside is a three story fire hydrant.  Inside are fire trucks from the 1800' up to today.  There was a 1909 LaFrance and many other pumpers, a hook and ladder that was converted from horse drawn to being pulled by a Model T.  We even spoke to the Chief in charge of training, Joe Condina.  He told us about the original chassis of the pumper that was sold for scrap to a gentleman in New York.  This fellow was retiring and donated the chassis back to the museum and they were diligently working on restoring it to it's 1920's glory.  We hope they are successful in getting it ready soon, it will be a highlight of the museum!

After our time spent at Gulf Coast, we mad our way to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.  Got in here on Thanksgiving day.  Almost nothing open but did manage to find dinner at the local Cracker Barrel.  Turkey, stuffing, corn, beans and pumpkin pie - what more could you ask for?  Went to Padre Island and then had lunch at Doc's Seafood on Friday.  Padre Island is a haven for the seven species of sea turtles that live in the Gulf.  There is a visitors center and in the summer I'm sure there is a lot of activity but on the day after Thanksgiving we almost had the place to ourselves.  I obtained a soda at the snack shop and as we were sitting a a picnic table a gentleman came over and asked if we belonged to GWRRA.  Well I had my Chapter B hat on so of course he said.  Seems he just joined Texas Chapter O in Austin.  They had just joined and were having fun riding their '08 Wing with their chapter.   Ride safe!

Our highlight here though was the visit to the USS Lexington, a WWII era aircraft carrier.  Lots and lots of climbing up and down the gang ways.  More on this in the next session - with lots of pictures!

What a jam! (traffic jam that is)

We made it to Tuscaloosa, Al in very nice weather - sunny and in the 60's.  Saturday we got up with the idea of going to the state park we visited last year on our way to Texas - Tannehill S.P.  The park was very busy and full, this was their last "Trader Days" of the year, sort of a cross between a super large yard sale and a craft show.  It was very nice to walk around but we were glad we weren't staying here - to many campers - maybe 200?

On the way back from there we decided to go to Northport and visit it's historic Main Street. Our trip took us right through the Alabama University campus - right before game time with Georgia Southern.  Wow what traffic!!  Pedestrian that is!  Thousands trying to get across the street form the parking lots to the stadium.  About 10 minutes to go two blocks, I guess that's not too bad.

We walked Northpoint's Main street,  I got a hair cut in the downtown barber shop and we went to Dreamland BBQ - great BBQ!  Had so much we brought some home for tomorrow.

Sunday dawned to cloudy but warm weather.  It's our anniversary!  Having a relaxing day staying in the trailer after we wash the trailer, truck and motorcycle.  Supposed to rain on Monday so washing them just guarantees it!  Now off to Slidell, La. and then Texas!

21 years and she still looks like the beautiful lady I married!

More adventures on the way to Texas

Our stop at Wapakoneta, Oh. was uneventful.  The campground was very flat, open and not a CG I would stay at except as a way point on a trip.  Exactly what we needed.  Next morning we set off for DRV in Howe, In.  When we pulled in we found out we were the third unit there!  An Elite Suite that had been there 4 weeks getting problems fixed and a unit that had been on it's way to Florida when they had a fire in their electrical box!  Our changes and problems seemed like nothing in comparison.  We wanted an automatic fan put in the bathroom, the raised floor under the toilet cut off to eliminate stubbing your toe and our back up camera fixed and the furnace doesn't run. 

Monday morning at 6 AM there was a knock at the door!  Whoa, they start work this early??  Yep, the gentleman said, "Get up and ready and we'll take you in and go over your list".  Half hour later we were going in.  Our list was written down and we were told to come back about 2:30 PM.  Off we went to site see in Elkhart.

Spent the morning eating breakfst at Cracker Barrel then went to the Motor Home and RV Museum.  We both felt that this was very worth while visiting.  There are all kinds of campers from as early as 1905, with many from the 20's, 30's and 40's.  The brand new building was housing over 55 motor homes and campers inside.  We went to Shippshawana and went into a cheese store, meat store and then a farmer's clothing store  - just like home in Amish country - Lancaster,Pa.

Back to the factory at 2:30 and talked with Scott Hamilton about our unit.  Everything looked great!  Job well done Scott!  We wanted a See-level kit put in but he didn't have time so we go back onto the lot so that tomorrow we get it finished. The furnace problem was that the program mode was on and set for the wrong time!  Cleared the programs and it works great.

Tuesday we get up early so we are ready for the 6 AM knock.  At 6:15 our unit is inside, this time we are told to come back about 12:30.  We went down the road to the Howe Diner for breakfast.  At about 7:30 we get into the truck to go more site seeing.  Oh no - the check engine light is on!  Pulled over, got the manual out and found the "check engine light".  Take it to the dealer it says.  So we called the closest dealer, they can see us at 8:30.  They are about 25 miles away and did I mention - IT'S SO FOGGY YOU CAN'T SEE 200 FEET! 

So off we go at a real slow pace.  No scares and we arrive at the dealer at 8:15.  After checking in we are told to have a seat they will talk with us after it is on the computer.  About 8:45 the service manager says it is the thermostats and it will take 3 hours.  So ok go ahead and do it. 

About two hours later the service manager comes out and says that they can't get they lower thermostat out, the EGR bracket will not come off.  They will have to take out the radiator, remove the turbo and the exhaust pipe - maybe another 5 hours!  I asked if they have a loaner car - no, seems it was out.  So we are stuck in the customer service lounge.  Our cocker, Cory doesn't mind, he gets to greet all the customers or sleep. 

Finally at about 3:30 they tell us we are all finished.   And it's all covered UNDER WARRANTEE !  You who!

Back at the dealer we tell Scott we'll settle our bill tomorrow morning.  Off to sleep with the knowledge we don't have to get up at 6 AM.

About 8:30 I pay our bill and we are off to Scottsburg, Ind for our next night.

Arriving at Scottsburg, we are told it will get into the 20's tonight so no water.  We settle in and set the furnace on to stay warm. 

On Friday we get up to a very cold morning!  But good news is that by the time we get to Tuscaloosa, Al it will be in the mid 60's and getting warmer the whole week end.

More as we go farther south over the next couple of weeks.

On the move - Nov. 11th

After living through the earliest snow storm this century in Denver, Pa. (Oct. 29th - 6 inches), we headed out on Nov. 11th for Howe Ind.  The first day was cold, in the 40's and in Allegheny Mountains we drove through snow again.  Now maybe I'd better tell you how we are traveling. 

I'm driving our F-450 pulling our DRV Mobile Suites.  Nice and dry, comfy with plenty of heat and heated seat.  Because I wanted my Honda Goldwing trike to go to Texas with us, my very loving and courageous wife is driving the trike behind me.  So who suffered the cold, snow and wind?  Believe me, I heard about it all night! 

First night we stayed in the KOA in Washington,Pa.  This CG is on the top of a hill over looking I-70.  A little cold with the wind blowing at 25 - 50 mph.  Early in the morning we woke up to NO furnace.  Trailer at 50 degrees.  No problem, started the heat pump and got the temp up to 65 before we left.

On down the road entering Ohio, Bonnie's on the CB - "Pull over immediately!".  So at the next exit (about 1/4 mile) I pulled over.  Seems the bike rack on the rear of the trailer had come apart and my bicycle had been dragging on the road.  A nice hi-way patrolmen pulled up behind us, lights going while Bonnie and I horse the bike into the back of the truck.  Then he told us to pull on down the ramp, clear of the white line on the right and park there.  so I did this and Bonnie road back to the last exit to see if she could find the part of the rack that is missing.  Success!!  She found it!  Pulled down the raod about 4 miles to a rest stop and put the rack back together, put the bike on and off we go!  Before leaving the rest stop, I noticed the passenger side front tire on the trailer looked a little low.

Now about an hour and a half later we stopped at a Pilot for lunch and fuel.  After lunch I took my air gauge and went to check the tire.  Pushing the gauge on on the valve stem - it pushed into the tire and a POW with a rush of air followed.  Whoa - what was that?  I looked at the next tire and it appears the nut holding the stem in was missing allowing the valve to push in.  So I jacked up the side of the trailer with the hydraulic leveling jacks.  Next to us was parked a very nice trucker named Ken.  Ken saw and heard what happened so he hopped out of his truck.  "I don't have anythign to do for the next three hours,  I can have that changed for you in no time."  Since I have my physical handicap and it would have taken me about an hour, I said "Thanks Ken.  I can use all the help I can get".  Well he and I had it  off and the spare on in about 20 minutes.  When I handed him my 3/4 inch torque wrench to tighten the nuts, he said, "Wow, you're really equipped!"   Threw the tire in the back of the truck and off we went to spend the night in Wapekoneta, Oh.   Hopefully uneventful !!

From snow to warmth - a tale of a trip

Well let first start by saying this will be a series of posts to bring the blog up to date.  Date, hmmm..... from middle of September until 11 November we were in Shady Grove Campground in Denver, Pa.  Nice location, near our house as we cleaned it for sale, near our friends and not to far from the youngest grand daughter.  The first problem we had at the campground was there were two tress at the south side of the RV that blocked the satellite signal.  So they told us to move over one site for a day or two and they would take out the trees!  Wow!  Out came the trees!

On October 29th, we had 8 inches of snow at the campground.  This photo is when we had about 5" and I went out side to walk the dog.

This was a great campground and very helpful, we'll be back here next year.

More to come about the November adventures....

Why am I parked here, of all places?

We moved to Pennsylvania last week for a couple of months until we get ready to head to Texas for the winter.  We are in Shady Grove in Lancaster County which is a nice campground rebuilding with a new owner.  The last owner let it run down a little, now there are about 20 full timers here with another 80 filling in on weekends.  It is open ALL year.

Our big adventure last week was to make the Hershey RV Show.  Having lived in Hershey we knew it was a great event.  Last year there were about 650 units on display, down from the high number of 900+ a few years ago.  This year they had around 1200 on display.  Now most of the units were smaller TT's, more toy haulers, but still the big class A's, high end 5th and other units we have come to expect.  And every dealer I talked to said they were selling units.  Who says this is a down economy for the RV industry?  At least for the units that are selling - mostly lower cost ones.  We did buy some items for our 5th wheel: a folding step, a patio rug for outside and some other small items.  See we did our part for  the economy.

We got the folding step because our site rolled off drastically on the door side.  Our new neighbors, Tim and Cindy loaned us there step so we didn't have a 15" first step.  Whew!  I get a nose bleed going up and down those steps.  Also the hydraulic lifts were at their extreme which caused the RV to sway every time someone walked or the washing machine runs.  Also no playing, if you get my meaning.  Wife doesn't like the rocking!

When we pulled into the site I tried to get the satellite pulled in but couldn't peak any of them.  Looked outside and there were two trees in the way!  So off I went to the office as there were three other sites around me that were free, wanted to see if I could move.  The owner Don talked with me and told me he had planned to get them down this fall but hadn't done it yet.  Could we move for a couple of days and he would get them down?  Very accommodating in my book!  So on Monday of this week we moved two sites over.  That afternoon the crew came in with a tree digger to take down 5 of the trees along the fence.  Ours were the first out and today they finished up with number 5.  In addition they are going to be putting more stone down and leveling the site to help eliminate the drop off it had before.

This is a video of what the unit looked like taking out the first tree.  All gone in about 30 minutes.

Tomorrow we have friends coming in from Chicago who haven't seen our RV yet.  Added bonus - they will get to see us pack it up and move two spaces  - JUST SO WE COULD GET SATELLITE TV!!!

We'll be back here next year for sure.  Until later....

It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' - - -

Here it is a whole week after Irene.  We've moved from the hiding hole in Maine where our DRV Mobile Suites sat out the storm.  After all the hype we felt that it was a rather windy but still a non-event.  Those west of us got it much worse than what we experienced.

We were in Meadowbrook Campground just outside of Bath, Me. for 4 days before and 1 day after the hurricane came through.  The day before we went around the campground and turned pick nick tables over, picked up  lawn chairs and placed them under tables to keep them from becoming air-borne.

All the RV's that were up in the treed area moved down to the open area where we were.  Several got up early on Monday morning before Irene made to far north and headed out.  I don't know where they were going, they did have Maine plates.  But even at that, why would you want to move and then drop off you rig at home when the winds is blowing 50 + mph!

Our thoughts led us to put the sides in on the 5th wheel, take the dog, food, drinks, the Kindle and our rain coats; we hooked the truck to the 5th and then sat in it until early evening.  The rain had quit by this time and the wind was not howling too bad.  So we went into the rig, put the living room slides out and read in there.  When it was time to go to bed we ran that slide out and crawled into bed.  I fell asleep almost immediately but Bonnie was up until 3AM listening to the wind howl.    

At Meadowbrooke they have a couple of things going on I need to mention.  First is their Lobster Pound (a place you can buy lobsters - live or cooked).  They have fresh lobsters going for $6.99/lb. either fresh or cooked.  Ummm... we filled up on lobster, let me tell you.  They take 20 minutes to cook so yo have time to get the corn done and coleslaw ready.

Second is the little restaurant found in the club house.  It's called the Drifter's Reef.  They have great meals every evening and during the summer they use produce that they grow.  We had fantastic spaghetti with squash, corn and home made cookies! 

For the last several days we have been back in Wolfeboro, N.H.  They had some trees down but no RV's damaged.  We Love being in this quiet campground, enjoy the people here and you never know what will turn up.  Yesterday I walked past Bob's 5th wheel and on the pick nick table there was one of the plastic containers we all use for items packed in the basement.  But this one was different - it had a heat lamp blasting the interior and inside were about two dozen guinea chicks!  Seems the daughter was visiting and had brought them along because no one would be at home to take care of them.  

So keep your eyes open  - you don't know what you'll see!

When it works it's great, when it doesn't .....

We've had problems with our DRV Mobile Suite since we picked it up three weeks ago.  First it was the power to the back up camera, "No TX Power", the error code says.  Then it was various lights not working I.E. turn signals failing, break lights on constantly and then running lights flashing.  So I obtained a wiring diagram for the lights converter in the trailer and checked it out.  It worked fine.

Next I went to the truck and checked the 7 pin plugs, the one at the bumper (factory) and the one in the bed (wired by the hitch installer).  Guess what one has problems?  Yep , you guessed right, the one wired by the hitch installer.  Seems he used those inline clamp on connectors that then gives you a spade connector off the side for another circuit.  Those things are known POS.  Any professional electrical person knows this, but the dealer says: "We use them all the time".  Well Not on my truck, you're not.


So any how, I'm wiring the truck up and I look out the side and see two sneakers at the end of khaki pants.  "Hi, I'm Ernie from next door."  Can I help?"  Well no, I don't think two of us can get under here, but thanks for offering.  As I went on working he told me about his tools and he had all kinds of crimp connectors if I needed them, etc. etc.  Some people are really nice.  Offer to help even when there's no possibility of them being able too.  He was about 80, so getting down on the ground and under the truck just wasn't in the cards.

When I took a break to let my arms rest, we had a nice talk.  He has always done his own work on his Suburban, on his Avion trailer and everything else.  He has been in the same RV park during the summer for 20 years.  A real fixture in the park.  It's nice that he's there, he can help people who have problems as he has seen almost everything go wrong in those 20 years.  So here's a tip of the hat to Ernie - sorry I didn't have something you could work on!

Oh NO Mr. Bill !!! (for those of you who remember the 70's).......

Ah, sweet New Hampshire in August.  The crisp coolness in the White Mountains, the brisk cold water of Lake Winnipasaukee and the eternal clear skies. (And I hope you believe all of that, cause it's already too crowded up here!)  We've been here for a week now, just enjoying being here with the step son, daughter in law and grand daughter.  They have a place on the lake and we are just a few miles away in a cozy campground.

But the exciting part of the trip here was the last 100 yards.  Our trip was uneventful through Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and most of New Hampshire.  When we got to our destination campground we were told where our site was and that we should "go around this way" to get into it.  So off we went, "this way", to get to it.  First glint that this was a wrong move was listening to the campground lady who obviously had no idea what "big rig" meant.  We took up the whole road around the camp.  When we got to the "go around" part, the rig drifted to the inside of the turn (naturally, big rigs do that).  What looked like a bush in the turn hid two big boulders!  Nicely placed right in the apex so as to slide under the side of the rig but high enough to contact one of our self leveling hydraulic jacks.  Know what sound that makes when you hit it ?   Bet you don't...................................................
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STOP!   At least that's what I heard from my partner walking the outside of the route.  SHE wasn't too happy.  Well after some backing up (avoiding the boulders on the other side of the road) and some more maneuvering,  the camp host's husband and son offering advice, I negotiated the turn without further mishap.  But the damage was done.  The mount for the jack was now at a 20 degree angle towards the inside of the trailer, it's supposed to be straight up and down.

Second glint of an idea learned was - walk your route before going in with the rig.  Locate low trees, obstacles and problems.

Now a week later, I've had time to relax and cool down.  Tomorrow I will attempt to remove the jack mount and get it straightened.  Oh, did I tell you they call New Hampshire the granite state?  Want to guess what kind of boulders these were?  You guessed it.

We met the neighbors this week.  There are exactly 6 others in the campground.  Makes for nice quiet times.  Tonight's special meeting was the couple who left Florida because of the economy crash there.  Hit really hard, houses not selling so most people just turn their keys over to the bank and walk away.  Least that's what they did.  Bought a used trailer, used U-haul pick-up and headed on out.  Made some eel pots along the way and as soon as he can find a nice boat to put his motor on, he's going eeling.   Got to be money in that!

I tell you, life's got some real gems in store for you and you don't have to look far to find them.  I hope his eel comes in, I really do.  He needs it.  After all,  he said he can't go back to running a water treatment plant.  It's too crappy of a job!!!    :)

The hound of hades ..... or the tale of our F-450!

Today, July 21st, found us in the midst of a heat wave.  The same one you have been experiencing no doubt.  But we were pulling our new DRV 16,000 pound 5th wheel for the first trip, a total of 300 miles through the Appalachian and Smokey Mountains. 

Now if you've never pulled with a F-450 let me acquaint you with the intricacies of Ford's top pick up puller.   It has two turbos for boosting power, normally only one is used as the load isn't significant to slow down the brute.  Then you have the 4, yes 4, high speed electric fans for cooling the motor down, again not normally needed.  With the 33,000 lb tow package you are endowed with a 4.88 rear end and the tow/haul set up. 

So here's  how all of this works.  You start out pulling and get to your cruise speed, say 65 mph.  Now as you start going up hill the truck will kick in the second turbo at about 62 to pick up speed it has lost.  I sounds like the harpies of Hades coming through the fire wall.  Oh, well you resolve, it's needed to keep the speed up going up this hill.  Then as the heat builds up, the four fans kick in.  Now you are convinced that the world is coming to an end, the engine is giving up the ghost and several squadrons of A-10's  have just flown in the windows.  This shrill scream last for about 5 minutes during which time you can only glance at your riding partner hoping that they don't say something profound because it will fall into space never to be heard above the screaming fans.

Once you've bested the summit all's quiet for the next few minutes until the next hill appears. 

This is the life of a F-450 driver pulling a good 8 tons in 100+ temperatures.   I hope the next couple of days are a little cooler or at least a little flatter.  I know they will be pleasanter... aw blessed ear plugs! 

Cheers.

Been to Ireland - wow!

Sorry for having left you in the air, so to speak.  Just got back from Ireland.  Wow, is all I can say.  The stepson, his wife and the 15month old daughter took his mother and I to Ireland for two weeks.  It was amazing!  More castles, beautiful landscapes and scenery than I could believe possible.  We stayed in castles, 5 star hotels, fantastic B&B's and normal hotels.  And the prices were unbelievable too.  Almost 1.5 to 2 times the cost of comparable items here.  And of course the fuel prices are in the stratosphere - about $9 per gallon when you work it out. 

So where do we stand on a 5th a day's helping you get familiar with going full time?  I think I left off wanting to discuss "choosing your poison", or what type of RV do you want to consider for full timing.  I just had a discussion with the wife about a friend who is full timing in a Class C with no other vehicle.  Every time she wants to go to town she has to pack up.  Not a very desirable situation.  So she is discussing getting a scooter to use for errand running.  This is the situation with Class A, B or C.  You need another vehicle if you wish to go somewhere while set up at a camp site.  A TT or a 5th wheel overcomes this with the very fact that the deliver vehicle is let loose after the deliver, for use to do other functions - errand running or site seeing.    So it's your pick as to which you feel is easier. 

Don't forget the additional cost of a second vehicle when you are choosing - insurance, maintenance and maybe extra campground charges for a 2nd vehicle.

Next is determining what you need for storage space.  Usually Class A's have a large number of basement bins.  No so in a TT, Class B or even most Class C's.  However 5th wheels have large storage bins, but smaller than a Class A.  If you need lots of storage choose accordingly.

I hope this has brought some insight on what to consider when choosing an RV.  What did you consider when choosing yours?  I'd like to hear from you, so please leave a comment.

Sometimes you just want new shoes and sometimes you NEED new shoes....

Our puller a 2008 Ford F-450, often called the BAT mobile (Big  Azz Truck) is just as pristine as you would ever want your truck to be.  We were lucky to find this monster on Ebay being sold by a young man in Maryland.  Little did we know that he had OCD when it came to his truck.  He kept it in the garage and cleaned the thing meticulously, nay I say religiously.  It was so clean you could eat off of the engine.

It came with almost new front tires but the rears were worn pretty badly and it only had 38,000 miles on it.  Seemed strange to me as everything about the truck seemed like it just came off the show room floor.  So now I have to find 4 new tires for on the rear of the monster hauler.  Man have you priced tires lately?  Because this is the monster King Ranch hauler (33,000 lb. tow capable) we have to have 19.5  inch tires.  Seems they run somewhere in the $300 a piece range for the good tires, 200 to 250 for just so - so tires.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm for new shoes but I'm just not sure I need Florsheim's,  can't I just do with some Buster Browns?  Then I got to thinking about it, I'm hauling my HOME around behind me, do I really want to skimp on tires?  So I think I'm going to have to save up some beans and go for the more expensive tires and hope that they last for ever.

And just how long is forever?  I think we should get 50 - 60 thousand miles out of them and if we spend 15 - 20 thousand miles a year on the road then we are looking at 3 to 4 years of traveling.  Now that only happens if you:
     1.  Keep the tires inflated to the proper temperature.
     2.  Don't suffer any puncture, scuffs or sidewall damage.
One of the things we plan to do to lower the yearly mileage is haul the motorcycle with us and use it when we are camped.

The motorcycle is a Goldwing trike that we've had for 6 years now.  Three years as a two wheel and three as a three wheel motorcycle.  When ever we go somewhere on it, it's a real conversation starter.  So if you see a big white BAT mobile pull in and unload and drop a blue Goldwing trike, come over and say hi........we don't bite!

Cleaning out the house.....

So you want to get on the road and enjoy the free life style yea?  What about all that "stuff" you have?  Well we had over twenty years together of accumulated stuff plus what ever was left over from our previous lives (both married previously).  Now I want to tell you that when we first got married we had a lot more room than the house we live in now.  In our previous  three moves we had pretty much down sized each time but you won't believe how much we've been able to acquire.

So how do you go about getting everything in the RV?  That is: how can Houdini make what's in a 2100 sq. ft. house fit into a 375 sq. ft. 5th wheel?  Poof - it's done.  Not quite.  Let me introduce you to Yard Sales, craigslist, ebay and Re-Uz-It Centers.  If you still have items left over then your local donation center like Good Will or Red Cross will take it and redistribute it to those who need it.

We've had three yard sales so far to down size but we still have several to go.  And along with this our house is on the market so the wife doesn't want to empty out the furniture that needs to go.  I'm still not convinced that not having a full house of furniture is a bad thing when it comes to showing your house.  But we do still need to live there for a few more weeks. 

At some point you too might be left with this question. When do you decide should cleaning out the house be the priority or leaving the furniture in it as buyers want to see how your "home" looks?  I hope you don't have to make this decision. 

Managing the down sizing of your household items and selling your home can be a full time job besides all the other jobs you must handle.  If you are doing this like we are then you too have your hands full.  Don't forget to take some time off for yourself.  Burn out isn't a pretty sight.  We are taking time off to go sight seeing.

Anecdotally I find it funny that items I have sold at our yard sale, that people haggled over the price, show up at the local auction house for sale.  A case in point is a Ryobi battery operated drill that I sold for $10.  The guy wanted to give me 7 but I told him no way.  This week at the auction I saw the same drill for auction.  What did it go for?  I didn't stick around to find out but I'm sure his reserve on it was more than the $10 he paid me.  But I'm not griping, I got what I wanted for it.

And what is it with these early birds?  We advertise the sale starts at 7 A.M. and we start to put things out at 6:30.  We no more than open our garage door and people are walking in to look at evreything before we've got it out.  Can't they wait to purchase it?  No not really, I think they're afraid they might miss something EVERYBODY else wants and will get their hands on it first.  But alas, the item isn't there.

And be ready to talk at length with one of your patrons.  Inevitably someone will want to talk your leg off either because they think you are their long lost friend or in reality they have very few other people to talk with.  At each of our yard sales I've had just such an opportunity.  One of them was a neighbor who lives over a block.  He's not married, drives a truck making deliveries and I guess doesn't have many friends.   But I heard all about his week.  But he is a nice guy and what the heck, I'm only sitting here hoping someone will buy some stuff.  Oh, he did and said he really needed it! 


Enough for this time but just wanted to warn you about getting rid of your stuff - start way before you think you will need to start, price it to go (not necessarily what you think it's worth) and do it often and you will see results as your house empties out.

Double shot of 5th ?

Once we had decided that we wanted to do this, we started talking about what type of vehicle we wanted to use.  As a child I had grown up with my family "going camping" in everything from a tent to a travel trailer.  Then when my kids were little,  I continued with tent camping, a converted van and even a trailer.  But Bonnie and I had only been camping on bike rides and that was in a tent.  We knew that wasn't in the cards.  So we started looking at Class A's ("no don't want to drive a bus" - Bonnie.  Class C's were out too).  That left us with travel trailers and 5th wheels.  I took the challenge and started researching what were the advantages and disadvantages of living in either one.  Some of the pro's of the 5th wheel were:  storage (it has a basement), more floor designs with more space and they pulled much better than a 36' travel trailer on the back of a pick up. 

We also knew that we would have to come up with a vehicle to tow with.  This meant getting rid of our beloved Subaru Outback we had purchased new in 2004.  We absolutely loved this car.  It did everything we asked of it, hauling our bikes, carrying hundreds of pounds of mulch in the back, giving us great gas mileage when you got it revved up (yea it got better mileage at 75 than it did at any lower speed).

But what vehicle do we get to replace it?  That all depended on the RV we would choose.  We finally decided on a large 5th wheel after looking at twenty or so manufacturers offerings.  We were set on the Carriage's model Cameo.  But Bonnie said that maybe we might want to stay in the north until after Thanksgiving, which meant we would need a 5th that would withstand the cold.  I did some more research and found that for a little more money we could get a DRV's model Mobile Suite (see it at: http://www.doubletreervsuites.com/products.php?suites_id=2)  that had much better insulation.  We went to the Hershey show and looked at all the models we liked but still we were convinced that our original choice, the MS, was the one.  Now we knew what we would be pulling so we could make a decision on what vehicle we would need to pull it.

I started looking for a F-350 or F-450 truck.  We found a 350 in the town next to us and went to look at it.  We really liked it but the dealer would not make us a good deal on the Subaru.  We had the top of the line LL Bean model and they wanted to buy it for a Legacy price.  We decided we would sell the Ru on our own. Two days after we listed it, it sold BUT the 350 was gone.  Looking around I found a beautifully kept F-450 near by in Maryland.  We went to look at it and found out the young man had OCD when it came to taking care of the truck.  It looked like it was on a show room floor, even the engine was clean enough to eat off of.  We purchased it but couldn't get it until a couple of weeks later due to bank mess up on our funds.










We had a truck but no RV!  We talked with our local dealer, looked at their offerings and asked about price.  Sure they gave us some discount off of MSRP but only about 10%, not enough for me since I knew what we would pay at other dealers on the internet.  I sent out request for pricing to several dealers in Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Florida.   Since we would be on the road full time we didn't need a local dealer.  RV's for Less in Tennessee stepped up with a price that was a full 25% off of MSRP.  Butch and Karen are also a good Christian couple to deal with, they treat you like they would want to be treated.  In January, 2011 we ordered our unit.  We will not however pick it up until July. 

Our double shot of 5th then was our mid thought change from a Cameo to a Mobile Suite.  It is a fantastically built unit that will fulfill our needs for the next few years.