Finally, CLT's Problem and Hurricane Sandy

Virginia Beach, VA.

58 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 75F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Well, Jim finally took photos of Joe and his family and got them downloaded onto this computer. So, I'm finally able to post them here so you can see who I've been talking about for the past week. : )

This first one is, of course, Joe, LInda's son.

Nancy, Joe's wife and our body building family member.

This is Sami, (Samantha), Joe and Nancy's oldest daughter,

And Amber, Joe and Nancy's youngest daughter.

 Tuesday, Linda called Walgreen's and was told that the rest of her medications were there, so she and Jim took CLT and headed over there and picked them up.

CLT (Cute Little Truck),  hadn't said anything, but come to find out, he's been having a problem with his brakes!! Jim caught it when he noticed a noise coming from CLT's left front wheel and was pretty sure that it was the brake pad wear indicator. I didn't realize it, but Jim said that he thought he had heard something over a week ago when we were in Apex, visiting Mike and his family.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  what to do?

Well, when Jim and Linda went over to Joe and Nancy's for dinner, Jim asked Joe if he had any recommendations of a place to get them checked out. Joe said that his friend Ray, (who Jim and Linda know), was now doing repair work on cars, and he would call him and see if he had time to look at CLT.

Well, to make a long story a little shorter, Ray said that he had time and would be glad to check CLT out. And, he could do it Wednesday afternoon!! So, soon after noon yesterday, Ray came over here, picked up CLT, took him back to his place, repaired both the front and rear brakes, and had CLT back here in time for Jim and Linda to head over to Joe and Nancy's for dinner again. : )

Talk about service!!!! : )

CLT says that his brakes haven't felt that good for quite some time now, and says that now, he'll be able to do a better job of helping me stop when we're traveling. : )

Today, the plan is for Joe and Nancy to come here for dinner. Jim also wants to do a few things outside as we're expecting quite a weather change because of Hurricane Sandy coming up along the coast.

Right now, Sandy is forecasted to stay well offshore  but you can be assured that both Jim and Linda are keeping a close eye on any changes in the forecast. In any case, we'll probably have quite a bit of rain with some wind and falling temperatures after the storm has passed.

Did you know that a lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court?

Old Town to Bonifay and Visiting With Friends

Bonifay, FL.

55 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs around 70. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
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It was 10:15 by the time we pulled out of the Old Town CG yesterday morning. Once back to US 19, we headed North and followed it up to Perry FL. where Jim pulled me into a Truck stop and bought me a nice big drink of #2 diesel fuel.

From there, we continued North on 19 up to I-10 where we turned West. I-10 took us through Tallahassee and to Exit 112 where we turned North on Rt.79. From there it was only about 2 blocks to the Florida Springs RV Resort and CG.

The sign in the photo above is what you see as you're entering the park.

This photo is of the "swimming pond" that you see as you enter the park.

We pulled up to the CG office at 10 minutes after 2:00 so it took us just 5 minutes under 4 hours to travel 201 miles, stop for my drink of diesel and make a pit stop along I-10.

Not too bad. ; )

Oh, and before I forget, we crossed into the Central Time Zone on our way here, so we arrived here 1:10 central time.

While Jim was in the office registering me, Randy and Terry (Jim and Linda's Friends that we came here to see), came over from their RV to say "Hi" and give Jim and Linda hugs and handshakes.

Randy and Terry are work-camping here at this park and since it's on our way out West, Jim and Linda thought it would be a good idea to stop by to see them.

Anyway, after getting me registered, Randy led me to my site which is just 2 sites from their 5th wheel trailer.

As you can see by the photo above, my site is plenty long, but not real level. In fact most of the sites here are not very level, but there are plans to do some major work on the sites to remedy that problem. There are also some other minor issues with this park, but Alicia and Andy are working on them, and if they keep on working on it, like they have for the last 3 years that they've owned it, it could be really nice.

In the meantime, it's a good place for an overnight stay (at Passport America rates) The sites are full hook-up, there's free cable and wi-fi and you won't find friendlier owners and camp hosts.

After I was set up and Jim had taken a little nap, Randy and Terry came over to see me and to visit for awhile.

When you think about it, it's really kind of strange, but Jim and Linda did not really know Randy and Terry very well. In fact they had only met them once before when they stopped by the SKP park in Alabama a few years ago. But, Jim always reads their blog and they read mine, (and Myrddin's before me), and feel like they really know each other.

So, when they sat down to visit, it was just like they had just seen each other and picked up right where they left off. : )

We'll stay here one more day before continuing our wanderings. If I heard right, there are plans to go out to eat tonight with Randy and Terry.

Did you know that Bonifay, FL. was named after Frank Bonifay who was a prominent citizen of Pensacola who owned a brick making factory?

A Little Surprise and My New Filter Is Here

DeBary, FL.

41 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.


After spending some time working on the computer, he got on the phone and called the Deland Truck Center to find out if that new engine air filter for me had come in. Well, Dennis, the parts manager said that it had come in and that Jim could come and pick it up anytime.

So, after lunch, Jim took CLT and headed over there. But, on the way, he stopped by an Office Max store to check on something he had been researching for quite awhile on the Internet.

It was a surprise but I guess I can tell you what it is now, because Jim has already given it to Linda.

It's a new "Family Tree Maker" program.

You see, Linda has become very frustrated with the old one she had been using. You may not remember, but the old one is a shareware program that is no longer being supported. Greg, the computer guy who Jim and Linda bought the new computer from, tried his best to get the old family tree program to run under Windows 7, but it just wasn't working, the latest problem being with trying to print out information once it was entered.

So, after Jim and Linda had talked about it, it was decided that the only way to really have access to the information was to get a new program and re-enter all the information.  : (   Now, this means a lot of work for Linda, but she enjoys doing family tree stuff, so it may not feel so much like work at all. : )

After doing the research and looking at reviews, Jim determined that this new program had the most features that Linda would like and was one of the easiest to use, so he thought he'd surprise her and buy it here before we started traveling.

 The new program hasn't been installed yet, but she's been reading the book that came with it, and is excited about all the features. : )

After stopping at Office Max, Jim went to the truck place and picked up the new air filter. I think he's going to install it today.

Laura stopped by for awhile again yesterday. She has to work all weekend, and knows that we'll be leaving on Monday, so she's been stopping by whenever she gets a little time.

Did you know that today is "International Fetish Day"?

Would You Believe?

Lakeland, FL.

70 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 80s. Southwest winds around 10 mph.

Would you believe that the mechanics here at Creative Coach finished the repairs and updates to me yesterday afternoon? Yep!!!! By about 3:00, Glenn was taking me out for a test drive and then, (to my surprise), he drove me around to one of the other buildings in this complex and had 2 men give me a much needed bath!!!!

Everything on Jim's list of repairs to me has been addressed and the SMI Air Force One brake system has been installed on me and CLT. So unless something happens, we'll be pulling out of here this morning and heading towards North Carolina. and Virginia to see Jim and Linda's sons.  : )

If you remember, that's where we were originally going to go before I had my slide problems and other issues. : ( 

So, the plan is to leave here around 9:00 this morning and head up towards the Jacksonville area where there's a CG that Jim and Linda have stayed at before. (I think it's near a town called Callahan). We may stay there a couple days so that Linda can get some laundry done and Jim can get a few thing reorganized in my basement compartments and the back of CLT.

Did you know that today is International Top Spinning Day?

Somewhere Between Yeow!!!!! and Zapp!!!!!

Lakeland, FL.

68 deg. scattered clouds, N. wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the morning...then numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Windy. Highs in the lower 80s. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph becoming east 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Yeah, I'm still here in Lakeland, and will be for awhile yet. The mechanics here at Creative Coach have been working on me every day, and have gotten quite a few things done.

I'm hoping that my slide issue seems to be taken care of. Nothing major was found but it was decided that some minor adjustments were needed and there was a broken brace at the bottom of the slide that was repaired, although they didn't think that it was the cause of the slide hanging up.

Another item that was an issue was some hoses that go from my engine to the Aqua Hot furnace. They are used to carry engine antifreeze to the furnace and back again to heat my engine for starting it when the weather is cold. They were leaking near the furnace and when Dan checked them out, he found that they were hard and cracked all the way from the furnace to my engine and would have to be replaced instead of just splicing in a new section at the furnace.

It was a really big job removing and installing the near 60' of hose that ran along the inside of one of my frame rails.

In my last post, mentioned that it was determined that my tires needed to be replaced. Well, as of yesterday, I now have 8 brand new Michelin tires. The tire man brought them yesterday and changed them right here  where I'm parked.  He was very good and was very careful not to scratch my aluminum wheels while changing them.

Now, being that I'm 45' long, and weigh a lot, I have to have very large tires to carry the weight. Well, large tires means expensive tires and I'm sure some of you want to know how expensive they were. Well, I don't have the exact figure, but it's somewhere between Yeow!!!!! and Zapp!!!!!

Jim says that in order to have enough money to buy diesel fuel for me, he and Linda will have to eat bread and water for the next few months!! ; )

The weather here has been pretty nice, but wouldn't you know it, it has changed for this weekend. The forecast all the way through Monday is for lots of rain and strong winds. : (  I guess Jim and Linda will be staying inside of me for a few days.

Did you know that today is "National Pierogi Day"?

Repairs Coming Along Nicely, But An Unexpected Expense

Lakeland, FL.

65 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Dan, one of the mechanics here at Creative Coach has been doing a lot of little things to me. I had a couple compartment doors that needed adjustment and he adjusted them, my right windshield wiper linkage was worn, so he removed it and has new linkage on order, my inverter/converter remote didn't work so he repaired it. As far as major items, he has worked on my kitchen/living room slide and has it working, worked on my main awning and seems to have that working, (except for a minor adjustment that still has to be made), and yesterday, changed the fan belt on my big Onan generator, (Which was a very big job).

One big item that neither Jim nor Linda were expecting was that upon inspection, sidewall cracks were found in 4 of my tires. : (   Now, the reason that this was unexpected is that when I left Rantoul, there were absolutely no cracks in my tires. This is known because before Jim and Linda even purchased me, Jim checked the date codes and did a very good inspection of the tires.

The consensus seems to be that because I sat for quite a long time on the dealers lot, out in the sun, the tires dried out and once we started traveling, they cracked. : ( 

Jim and Linda decided that they didn't want to take any chances of having a blow-out while driving down the road and possibly doing major damage to me, or even getting into an accident. So . . . . . it was decided that they would buy all new tires for me.

It's going to cost them a bundle, but they think that the safety factor of having new tires is well worth the cost.

Jim has been watching and learning about me as the mechanics have been working on me. They don't seem to mind when he watches and asks questions and in fact Dan seems to welcome him being there and occasionally helping out by holding a part in position or getting a wrench or bolt for him.

Jim has taken a few pictures in the last few days, and I'll try to get a few posted here but for some reason the Internet connection around here is very flaky. Some times, like so far this morning, everything goes along nicely, but then all of a sudden I'll lose the signal. Sometimes I can get right back on but other times I can't and have to wait until sometime later to get reconnected. : (

Did you know that by the time the first Spanish conquistadors arrived, there were over 250,000 Native Americans living on the peninsula which is now Florida?

Canceling the Appointment At SMI and Indiana To Tennessee

Clarksville, TN,

55 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Decreasing clouds. Scattered showers. Highs around 70. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Jim did call and tell Kyle at SMI that he didn't feel comfortable trying to get me into their parking lot. Kyle said that he understood, but was sure that they could get me in and out of the lot. Well, Jim didn't want to take the chance, so he made arrangements to go over there and purchase a kit.

By this time, Linda was up and ready, so she and Jim took CLT and headed over there. By a little after 10:00 they were back from SMI, CLT was hooked to the back of me, and we were pulling out of the Fairgrounds.

From the Fairgrounds, we headed North on US 41 for a few miles where we tuned East on I-64. 64 took us over to I-164 where we tuned South and followed it around Evansville until we came back to US-41. Going South on 41 took us across the Ohio River and into Kentucky where we got onto the Pennyrile Parkway and followed it all the way down to I-24. Turning SE on 24 took us into Tennessee and here to the Clarksville RV Pk, in Clarksville. It was about 12:25 when we pulled up to the stop sign in the park, so it took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to travel just about 130 miles.

The Clarksville RV Pk is pretty nice but kind of expensive. Jim and Linda have stayed here before because it's convenient but think it's overpriced for what you get.

Jim hadn't slept very well the night before, so as soon as he had me hooked up to the utilities, he and Linda both took naps. : )

Today, we'll be heading down into Alabama. Jim found a couple CGs down there that will work and are reasonably priced.

Oh, and I want to thank Eric and the other followers who have either e-mailed Jim or left a comment on this blog. Your suggestions of what may be wrong with my slide may be correct, but since I have some other issues, we're going to go on down to Florida to have them all addressed. Then, hopefully we can have a nice relaxing trip up to NC and VA to see Jim and Linda's kids and grand kids. : )

Did you know that Tennessee has more than 3,800 documented caves?