Portland, OR.
46 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Overcast. High of 64F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.
The repairman came at 10:00 as promised and proceeded to work on my electric steps. It took him a little while, but soon my steps were going in and out as he closed and opened my entry door. : )
I have mixed feelings about Keith from Affordable Mobile RV Repair. At times it seemed like he was not confident in his own diagnoses of the problem, but in the end, he came through and proper repairs were made. Also, when Jim and Linda received the final bill, they were pleasantly surprised at the charges. He definitely didn't charge for all the trips back and forth, or for that matter, all the time he spent finding what the problem was with my steps. He was very through with his troubleshooting of the problem and even rechecked his test results to make sure he had made the right decision.
So, if you're in the Portland Oregon area and have a problem with your RV, give Keith a call. He is very honest, has very reasonable rates, is very through and will not over-charge. Also, if he feels he can't handle the problem, he will tell you. And, if he knows of someone that he thinks can do the job, refer you to them.
Keith who is the owner of Affordable Mobile RV Repair is definitely one of the "Good Guys". : )
On the other hand, the service that Jim originally called, and had dealt with before, "Mobile Technical Services", can no longer be recommended. The business has been sold to a new owner and when called, did not show up for the appointment or even call. In fact as of today Jim has still not heard from them.
Oh, remember I told you that Jim had ordered a ladder? Well, Lowe's called yesterday and told Jim that the ladder was on back-order and would not be available until sometime in June. : ( So, the order was canceled and if Jim still wants to get a ladder, will have to try to get one at a later date.
Not a whole lot else happened yesterday. Jeff and Heather were busy so we didn't see them. Today, I think Jeff will be around, so maybe he'll have time to get together with Jim and Linda.
Did you know that in Portland, "Powell's City of Books", occupying an entire city block, is the world's largest independent bookstore?
Showing posts with label mechanic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mechanic. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
I'm OK
Deming, NM.
36 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 77F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.
I'm OK and am now in Deming, NM. It's been a hectic few days, but I think my problems are solved and my fuel system repaired. But, lets back up a few days and I'll see if I can bring you up to date on what's been happening since my last post.
By using some starting fluid, Jim was able to get my engine started Monday morning. We left the Eagle's Nest RV Park about 7:40 AM and headed for El Past to see if we could get my problem repaired.
I was a little nervous as we pulled out onto I-10, because I wasn't sure if my engine would continue to run right or not out on the highway. It ran fine though and by 9:15 we were pulling into On the Border Freightliner, which is on the East side of El Paso and about 1/2 mile off of I-10.
It was 98 miles from Van Horn to the Freightliner place and it had taken us an hour and 35 minutes.
After Jim went inside and talked to the Service Manager, he pulled me around behind the building, unhooked CLT from the back of me and backed me into a spot next to the fence.
Then, we had to wait until a technician was available to check me out.
We didn't have to wait too long though and soon the technician was driving me around to the other end of the building and then because all the shop bays were full, pulled me up right next to it.
As soon as I was parked, he checked under me for loose fuel fittings, tightened a few, and then found the problem when he got back to my fuel filters.
I have a little different set-up than most RVs have. I don't have a primary filter, as such, but have what they call a pre-filter/ water separator and a regular fuel filter. The pre-filter consists of a clear plastic part with a filter inside of it. It's small and sits right along side of the regular filter.
It was this pre-filter that was leaking at the bottom. There are "O" rings at both ends and the bottom one had been deformed when it was last installed.
Anyway, the parts were ordered, (new pre-filter and regular filter), and I had to wait over night.
Yesterday, the parts came in about 10:00, and the technician installed them without a whole lot of trouble.
It was a little hard to get my engine restarted, but once it started it ran just fine and there were no more air bubbles visible in the pre-filter. : )
After Jim paid the bill and got CLT hooked back up behind me, we left On the Border Freightliner 10 minutes before noon.
The traffic thought El Paso was heavy but moved pretty well, and soon we were North of the City and heading for Deming, NM and the Escapees club Dreamcatcher RV Park. This is where we were heading last Friday when my engine wouldn't start, so now instead of staying here for a week, we'll probably only stay for 3 or 4 days.
It was about 1:45 when we pulled up in front of the office / clubhouse so it took us about an hour and 55 minutes to travel the 114 miles over here.
Oh, at about mile marker 125 on I-10 in New Mexico, I saw a really disturbing sight in the Eastbound lanes. There were all kinds of flashing lights and police and fire vehicles all over the place and when we passed by, I saw what the problem was.
It was a large 5th wheel RV Trailer laying on it's side across both lanes of the Interstate road. : ( Couldn't see the truck that had been pulling it, or any other vehicles that were damaged, just the 5th wheel laying there. I don't know what happened and haven't heard anything about it on the news.
I just hope no one was hurt.
As soon as Jim and Linda had me set up, they took CLT and headed into town to get their mail. It had been sent to the Deming Post Office awhile back and they wanted to get it as soon as they could. Then, after taking naps and because the last few days have been very stressful for Jim, Linda and me, they decided to go back into town to a Pizza Hut for dinner.
Did you know that Deming is named after Mary Ann Demming Crocker, wife of Charles Crocker, one of The Big Four of the railroad industry?
36 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 77F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.
I'm OK and am now in Deming, NM. It's been a hectic few days, but I think my problems are solved and my fuel system repaired. But, lets back up a few days and I'll see if I can bring you up to date on what's been happening since my last post.
By using some starting fluid, Jim was able to get my engine started Monday morning. We left the Eagle's Nest RV Park about 7:40 AM and headed for El Past to see if we could get my problem repaired.
I was a little nervous as we pulled out onto I-10, because I wasn't sure if my engine would continue to run right or not out on the highway. It ran fine though and by 9:15 we were pulling into On the Border Freightliner, which is on the East side of El Paso and about 1/2 mile off of I-10.
It was 98 miles from Van Horn to the Freightliner place and it had taken us an hour and 35 minutes.
After Jim went inside and talked to the Service Manager, he pulled me around behind the building, unhooked CLT from the back of me and backed me into a spot next to the fence.
Then, we had to wait until a technician was available to check me out.
We didn't have to wait too long though and soon the technician was driving me around to the other end of the building and then because all the shop bays were full, pulled me up right next to it.
As soon as I was parked, he checked under me for loose fuel fittings, tightened a few, and then found the problem when he got back to my fuel filters.
I have a little different set-up than most RVs have. I don't have a primary filter, as such, but have what they call a pre-filter/ water separator and a regular fuel filter. The pre-filter consists of a clear plastic part with a filter inside of it. It's small and sits right along side of the regular filter.
Anyway, the parts were ordered, (new pre-filter and regular filter), and I had to wait over night.
Yesterday, the parts came in about 10:00, and the technician installed them without a whole lot of trouble.
It was a little hard to get my engine restarted, but once it started it ran just fine and there were no more air bubbles visible in the pre-filter. : )
After Jim paid the bill and got CLT hooked back up behind me, we left On the Border Freightliner 10 minutes before noon.
The traffic thought El Paso was heavy but moved pretty well, and soon we were North of the City and heading for Deming, NM and the Escapees club Dreamcatcher RV Park. This is where we were heading last Friday when my engine wouldn't start, so now instead of staying here for a week, we'll probably only stay for 3 or 4 days.
It was about 1:45 when we pulled up in front of the office / clubhouse so it took us about an hour and 55 minutes to travel the 114 miles over here.
Oh, at about mile marker 125 on I-10 in New Mexico, I saw a really disturbing sight in the Eastbound lanes. There were all kinds of flashing lights and police and fire vehicles all over the place and when we passed by, I saw what the problem was.
It was a large 5th wheel RV Trailer laying on it's side across both lanes of the Interstate road. : ( Couldn't see the truck that had been pulling it, or any other vehicles that were damaged, just the 5th wheel laying there. I don't know what happened and haven't heard anything about it on the news.
I just hope no one was hurt.
As soon as Jim and Linda had me set up, they took CLT and headed into town to get their mail. It had been sent to the Deming Post Office awhile back and they wanted to get it as soon as they could. Then, after taking naps and because the last few days have been very stressful for Jim, Linda and me, they decided to go back into town to a Pizza Hut for dinner.
Did you know that Deming is named after Mary Ann Demming Crocker, wife of Charles Crocker, one of The Big Four of the railroad industry?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Fort Stockton to Van Horn, Still A Blowin’ and Big Problems
Van Horn TX
34 Deg., overcast, NE wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy, high temp. 52 deg, a 20% chance of rain, East wind @ 10 to 15 mph.
Just before we pulled out of the Fort Stockton RV park at , the wind started to blow again. It wasn't blowing too hard, so I thought it would be OK. As we were heading to the next exit where there was a gas station, I thought the wind may be picking up a bit, but it still wasn't too bad.
Well, by the time Jim had filled my tank with good old #2 diesel and we headed back out onto Westbound I-10, I knew it was going to be a tough travel day. You see, the wind had switched to the NE and was hitting me pretty much broadside at about 20 to 30 mph with higher gusts!!! : O
Now, I’m pretty heavy and wind doesn't bother me a real lot, but Jim had to “stay on the ball” to keep me from wandering off course, which meant that he couldn't really relax at all.
We stopped at one rest area and one picnic area along the way. Once to just relax a bit and the other time to relax and check tires and tow bar. So, with getting fuel and stopping the 2 times, it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel the 123 miles here to the Eagle's Nest RV Park in Van Horn , TX
This is a pretty nice park with fairly large pull-through sites and full hook-ups, with some sites having 50 amp electric. There wasn't anyone in the office when we pulled in, so Jim did the "self registration" thing and soon I was parked in site #3.
Yesterday morning, the wind had died down some, so Jim and Linda thought they'd get an early start. Well, as you know, the best laid plans don't always work.
By about 8:30, Jim and Linda had everything ready go go, so Jim fired up my engine and it started right up and then promptly stopped!!!! He tried to start it again but it would crank over but not start!!! : O
Now what to do???? He went out and checked to see of there was anything visible wrong but couldn't find anything, tried to start my engine again, but it still wouldn't run. : (
So . . .. . . A call to Road Service was in order.
After talking to the friendly and sympathetic people at Road Service for awhile and giving them a bunch of information, it was decided that the best thing to do was to send a tow truck out and have me towed to the nearest facility, which is about 100 miles away in El Paso.
After about an hour so so, they called back and said that they had found a towing service that could handle me, but it would be between 3:00 and 5:00 before they could get here. : (
So, , , , , nothing to do but wait, and if you know Jim, waiting for something like that is not one of his better attributes. : (
Anyway, about 3:30, the phone rang and it was the Road Service telling Jim that the tow truck had problems and wouldn't be able to come and tow me to El Paso until Monday!!!!! : ((
But, , , , , , , , , , Just after that call, the man from the tow truck company called, asked some questions about me and asked if anyone had looked at me? He was told that "No, the Road Service had determined that the thing to do was to tow me to the facility in El Paso". He said that since his tow truck service was in Van Horn, and he had some time, he wandered if it would be OK if he came over and had a look at me?
In about 10 minutes he arrived, checked a few thing out, and then he and Jim tried to start my engine. Again, it would not start, so the man got out some starting fluid and while Jim was trying to start me, he sprayed some into my engine air intake.
My engine fired up and in a short time was running fine on it's own!!! : )
So, what's the problem? Well, he thinks that there is a small leak somewhere and my fuel system is loosing its prime. In another words, after sitting, the fuel runs out of my fuel lines and back into the tank and without a little help, the pump will not pull it back up.
I've noticed my engine running a little rough after starting a few times, but I just blamed it on the cold weather, as that seemed to be when it happened. But now, I've got an idea that there was a problem for some time now, and it finally showed up here when the temperature was down to near freezing.
Being that it was too late to head to El Paso, it was decided that we'd stay here for the weekend. Jim called the Road Service and told them to cancel the tow and then called the repair facility in El Paso and arranged for me to go in to be checked out Monday.
Oh, and that man from the tow truck company? He wouldn't accept any money for stopping by and instead, apologized for having a problem with his tow truck and not being able to tow me.
But, you know what? I'm glad that he had a problem with his truck!!! I didn't really want to be towed and if Jim can get my engine started Monday morning, he can drive me to El Paso to see what the problem is.
Did you know that Van Horn was named for Lt. James Judson Van Horn who commanded an army garrison at the Van Horn Wells beginning in 1859? Lt. Van Horn's command was relatively short-lived as the post was seized by Confederate forces in 1861 and Lt. Van Horn taken prisoner.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Guess What? and Happy Thanksgiving
DeBary, FL.
57 deg., clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 70s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Guess what???? The parts for my Aqua Hot furnace came in by UPS about 10:15 and Dan started to reassemble the furnace right away. Everything went together without a hitch and by about 12:30 the furnace was running and Jim was hooking CLT up to the back of me.
Now, Dan would normally have gone to lunch at noon, but because he knew that Jim wanted to get me through Orlando before the traffic became too heavy, he delayed going to lunch until he had me repaired.
Thanks Dan! : )
So, by 1:00 the bill was paid, and we were heading towards a gas station near there to get me a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel. : ) Then it was a short drive back to I-4 where we turned NE and headed for DeBary.
Just before we got to Orlando, there was an accident in the left lane which caused us some delay, but once past that, the traffic moved pretty smoothly all the way through the city. By 2:40 I was pulling up in front of the office here at the Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort.
Actually, even though we stopped for my drink and got delayed for the accident, it only took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to travel the 75 miles up here.
Once here, I sat out in front of the office while Jerry, (the park manager), took Jim around the park to look for a site that was nice and that I could fit into. They finally found a site but a low hanging tree branch had to be trimmed before Jim could back me in. Once that was trimmed, Jim backed me in and now I'm settled into site #198 which is just a short way past the Clubhouse.
So, this is where I'll be for the next 2 months. I think I'm going to like it here. Already, many of the neighbors have come over and welcomed me into the park. ; )
Seems like really nice people here. : )
Oh and by the way. . . . . I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
I hope all of you have a great day. : )
Did you know that the first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days?
57 deg., clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 70s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Guess what???? The parts for my Aqua Hot furnace came in by UPS about 10:15 and Dan started to reassemble the furnace right away. Everything went together without a hitch and by about 12:30 the furnace was running and Jim was hooking CLT up to the back of me.
Now, Dan would normally have gone to lunch at noon, but because he knew that Jim wanted to get me through Orlando before the traffic became too heavy, he delayed going to lunch until he had me repaired.
Thanks Dan! : )
So, by 1:00 the bill was paid, and we were heading towards a gas station near there to get me a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel. : ) Then it was a short drive back to I-4 where we turned NE and headed for DeBary.
Just before we got to Orlando, there was an accident in the left lane which caused us some delay, but once past that, the traffic moved pretty smoothly all the way through the city. By 2:40 I was pulling up in front of the office here at the Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort.
Actually, even though we stopped for my drink and got delayed for the accident, it only took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to travel the 75 miles up here.
Once here, I sat out in front of the office while Jerry, (the park manager), took Jim around the park to look for a site that was nice and that I could fit into. They finally found a site but a low hanging tree branch had to be trimmed before Jim could back me in. Once that was trimmed, Jim backed me in and now I'm settled into site #198 which is just a short way past the Clubhouse.
So, this is where I'll be for the next 2 months. I think I'm going to like it here. Already, many of the neighbors have come over and welcomed me into the park. ; )
Seems like really nice people here. : )
Oh and by the way. . . . . I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
I hope all of you have a great day. : )
Did you know that the first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
One Problem Repaired and Waiting On The Second
Lakeland, FL.
67 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Patchy fog early in the morning. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
As soon as Lester came in to work yesterday morning, Jim went into the office to talk to him. Lester was busy getting everything ready for the work day, so Jim didn't stay long. He did, however, tell Lester exactly what my problems were and how my furnace and alternator were acting.
Glen, (the shop foreman) came out about 8:00 and backed me into a spot along side of the building and plugged me into electric, but being that Lester had kind of squeezed me into the schedule, no one was able to start work on me until about 2:30 in the afternoon.
It was then that Dan, (the head mechanic and the one who had done almost all the work on me when we were here before), came out and started checking out my alternator problem. It took him about an hour to find out what was wrong, and then another hour to fix the problem.
What was the problem? Well, lets just say that two mistakes were made, one by the mechanic where Jim and Linda bought me in Illinois, (that started the whole problem), and another one when my alternator was removed and rebuilt about a month and a half ago here at Creative Coach.
The mistake has been rectified and it will not cost Jim and Linda anything for the repairs. : )
After the alternator problem was fixed, Dan took a look at my Aqua Hot furnace. He finally got it to try to light and it appears that the bearings in the fuel pump have gone bad. He didn't have time to take the furnace apart yesterday afternoon, but by the noise it made, that is the assumption.
This morning he'll take it apart and find out exactly what the problem is. Then the parts can be ordered and the repairs made.
Now, that brings up another problem. Today is the day my reservations at the Highbanks Marina and CG begin. Needless to say, I won't be able to make it and won't know until the parts are ordered and the Aqua Hot place tells Lester when they can ship them. Even then, (from past experience), it's hard to figure out just when the parts will get here, and then be installed, so Jim is hoping that the CG will work with him and hold a site until I can get them there.
There's also the little thing about Thanksgiving. Marv and Inez, (Lindsey's parents), will be having a big meal that Jim and Linda are invited to, but unless everything goes really well with my repairs, we won't get there in time. So, Linda will have to call Laura and Lindsey and tell them what's going on and tell them that she don't know if we'll be able to make it or not. : (
So, that's what's going on here. I hope all your Thanksgiving plans are not "up in the air", like they are for Jim and Linda. The "not knowing" is the worst part, and they won't know for sure until the parts actually arrive and the furnace is repaired. : (
Today, Jim and Linda have made plans to meet up with Roland and Louise, (long time, very good RVing friends), for lunch at a Bob Evans Restaurant here in Lakeland. They always enjoy getting together with them and are looking forward to seeing them again. They're wintering down in Frostproof, FL. and will drive up here for lunch. : )
Did you know that according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving? That's one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year.
67 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Patchy fog early in the morning. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
As soon as Lester came in to work yesterday morning, Jim went into the office to talk to him. Lester was busy getting everything ready for the work day, so Jim didn't stay long. He did, however, tell Lester exactly what my problems were and how my furnace and alternator were acting.
Glen, (the shop foreman) came out about 8:00 and backed me into a spot along side of the building and plugged me into electric, but being that Lester had kind of squeezed me into the schedule, no one was able to start work on me until about 2:30 in the afternoon.
It was then that Dan, (the head mechanic and the one who had done almost all the work on me when we were here before), came out and started checking out my alternator problem. It took him about an hour to find out what was wrong, and then another hour to fix the problem.
What was the problem? Well, lets just say that two mistakes were made, one by the mechanic where Jim and Linda bought me in Illinois, (that started the whole problem), and another one when my alternator was removed and rebuilt about a month and a half ago here at Creative Coach.
The mistake has been rectified and it will not cost Jim and Linda anything for the repairs. : )
After the alternator problem was fixed, Dan took a look at my Aqua Hot furnace. He finally got it to try to light and it appears that the bearings in the fuel pump have gone bad. He didn't have time to take the furnace apart yesterday afternoon, but by the noise it made, that is the assumption.
This morning he'll take it apart and find out exactly what the problem is. Then the parts can be ordered and the repairs made.
Now, that brings up another problem. Today is the day my reservations at the Highbanks Marina and CG begin. Needless to say, I won't be able to make it and won't know until the parts are ordered and the Aqua Hot place tells Lester when they can ship them. Even then, (from past experience), it's hard to figure out just when the parts will get here, and then be installed, so Jim is hoping that the CG will work with him and hold a site until I can get them there.
There's also the little thing about Thanksgiving. Marv and Inez, (Lindsey's parents), will be having a big meal that Jim and Linda are invited to, but unless everything goes really well with my repairs, we won't get there in time. So, Linda will have to call Laura and Lindsey and tell them what's going on and tell them that she don't know if we'll be able to make it or not. : (
So, that's what's going on here. I hope all your Thanksgiving plans are not "up in the air", like they are for Jim and Linda. The "not knowing" is the worst part, and they won't know for sure until the parts actually arrive and the furnace is repaired. : (
Today, Jim and Linda have made plans to meet up with Roland and Louise, (long time, very good RVing friends), for lunch at a Bob Evans Restaurant here in Lakeland. They always enjoy getting together with them and are looking forward to seeing them again. They're wintering down in Frostproof, FL. and will drive up here for lunch. : )
Did you know that according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving? That's one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Callahan To Lakeland and Orlando Traffic
Lakeland, FL.
64 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Partly sunny. Patchy fog early in the morning. Isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Being that the only place we were going to was the parking lot at Creative Coach in Lakeland, there didn't seem to be much of a reason to hurry, so it was about 10:10 when we pulled out of my site at Kelly's Countryside RV Park just North of Callahan.
From Callahan, we headed South on US 301 / US 1 and then US 1 to I-295, which runs around to the West of Jacksonville. Once South of the city, 295 re-connected back up with I-95, which we took down to Daytona. There, we turned SW on I-4 and brought it down through Orlando and here to Lakeland.
It was 1:45 when we pulled into the parking lot here at Creative Coach, so it took us 3 hours and 35 minutes to travel 211 miles. Not too bad considering that at times the traffic was very heavy.
One of those times was when we were going through Orlando.
Now, I don't know how many of you watch NASCAR racing, but the situation in Orlando reminded me of what it's like in a race right after a caution flag with only 10 laps to go. The green flag has just come out, there are 3 rows of vehicles running bumper to bumper and door to door. Everyone in jockeying for position, changing lanes with the hopes to pass the vehicle in front of them. Watching the race, you just know that someone is going to make a mistake and bump someone else, which will cause a big accident!!!
Well, that's the way it was coming through Orlando. You just knew that there were too many cars, too close together, someone was going to try to fit their car into a space that wasn't big enough and there was going to be a big accident!!
Well, we made it, there wasn't an accident as we came through, but there sure were some close calls!!! : O Now, I know why Jim avoids Orlando when ever he can.
I hope the mechanic here can start work on me right away this morning. That way, we may be able to get to Laura's before Thanksgiving. We'll have to see though. there's lots of RV here needing work and I'll have to wait my turn.
Did you know that in 1942 the Alaska highway across Canada was formally opened?
64 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Partly sunny. Patchy fog early in the morning. Isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Being that the only place we were going to was the parking lot at Creative Coach in Lakeland, there didn't seem to be much of a reason to hurry, so it was about 10:10 when we pulled out of my site at Kelly's Countryside RV Park just North of Callahan.
From Callahan, we headed South on US 301 / US 1 and then US 1 to I-295, which runs around to the West of Jacksonville. Once South of the city, 295 re-connected back up with I-95, which we took down to Daytona. There, we turned SW on I-4 and brought it down through Orlando and here to Lakeland.
It was 1:45 when we pulled into the parking lot here at Creative Coach, so it took us 3 hours and 35 minutes to travel 211 miles. Not too bad considering that at times the traffic was very heavy.
One of those times was when we were going through Orlando.
Now, I don't know how many of you watch NASCAR racing, but the situation in Orlando reminded me of what it's like in a race right after a caution flag with only 10 laps to go. The green flag has just come out, there are 3 rows of vehicles running bumper to bumper and door to door. Everyone in jockeying for position, changing lanes with the hopes to pass the vehicle in front of them. Watching the race, you just know that someone is going to make a mistake and bump someone else, which will cause a big accident!!!
Well, that's the way it was coming through Orlando. You just knew that there were too many cars, too close together, someone was going to try to fit their car into a space that wasn't big enough and there was going to be a big accident!!
Well, we made it, there wasn't an accident as we came through, but there sure were some close calls!!! : O Now, I know why Jim avoids Orlando when ever he can.
I hope the mechanic here can start work on me right away this morning. That way, we may be able to get to Laura's before Thanksgiving. We'll have to see though. there's lots of RV here needing work and I'll have to wait my turn.
Did you know that in 1942 the Alaska highway across Canada was formally opened?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Comment On A Comment, A Business To Avoid and Plans
Callahan, FL.
54 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. North winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the east in the afternoon.
I received a comment the other day from Rod and Loyce Ivers which made me stop and think about repair shops. They observed that in the last few years, Creative Coach has been a lifesaver for Jim and Linda when a repair shop was needed for their RVs.
Jim says that he has to agree that they have been there for him any time his RVs needed repairs. In fact Lester, who is now mostly in the office, has been there for Jim and Linda since they got to know him way back in 2005. He solved a problem that Myrddin had on a trip out west, that about 12 other mechanics on the trip couldn't fix. And, he found the problem in less than 1/2 hour!!
Even though Lester doesn't do much of the mechanical repairs anymore, he's there at Creative Coach, and like this time, comes out and helps if the other mechanics aren't exactly sure of what to do.
Creative Coach definitely is not the least expensive repair shop down in Florida, but Jim has complete faith in them when it comes to repairs. They will not do work that is unnecessary unless you want it done, they will take the time to explain the different repair options that you might have and will go out of their was to help figure out ways to cut the cost as much as they can.
On the other hand, they will not patch something together. It must be repaired right. They have an excellent reputation for doing quality work and will not compromise.
I know that this must sound like a commercial for Creative Coach, but it's not. There are many other fine mechanics and shops all across the country and the point I'm trying to make is that if you find one of these shops or mechanics, go back to them whenever possible.
I will be traveling about an additional 1000 miles this fall because Jim and Linda decided to go down to Florida for my repairs before going to North Carolina and Virgina to see their sons and their families. But, by doing that, the repairs have been made to me by someone they trust and they can now enjoy visiting with family instead of worrying about weather the repairs would be made properly at some shop along the way.
Oh, and one other thing. I usually don't like to "bash" a business, but this must be said.
Jim wants you to know that he does not recommend that you do business with, or have any repairs done at R & S in Mahomet Illinois where Jim and Linda bought me. In the last few months, he has found that the repairs that they were supposed to do to me before the sale were mostly "patch jobs" which were designed to make it seem like I was repaired without doing the job right. There have been many things found where they had cut corners and Jim and Linda have had to have them repaired again. They also told Jim some things that were untrue about me in order to make the sale without having to do some repairs, and there was also some deception as to what equipment I have.
Not much happened around here yesterday. Linda did some more laundry and Jim did some more re-organizing. Then for dinner, he cooked a nice big, juicy steak out on the grill while Linda cooked some vegetables inside.
Today we're going to head farther North. I don't know just how far we'll go, but Jim called Mike the other day and told him that we should getting to their area, (Apex, NC) by Monday.
Did you know that today is "National Grouch Day"?
54 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. North winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the east in the afternoon.
I received a comment the other day from Rod and Loyce Ivers which made me stop and think about repair shops. They observed that in the last few years, Creative Coach has been a lifesaver for Jim and Linda when a repair shop was needed for their RVs.
Jim says that he has to agree that they have been there for him any time his RVs needed repairs. In fact Lester, who is now mostly in the office, has been there for Jim and Linda since they got to know him way back in 2005. He solved a problem that Myrddin had on a trip out west, that about 12 other mechanics on the trip couldn't fix. And, he found the problem in less than 1/2 hour!!
Even though Lester doesn't do much of the mechanical repairs anymore, he's there at Creative Coach, and like this time, comes out and helps if the other mechanics aren't exactly sure of what to do.
Creative Coach definitely is not the least expensive repair shop down in Florida, but Jim has complete faith in them when it comes to repairs. They will not do work that is unnecessary unless you want it done, they will take the time to explain the different repair options that you might have and will go out of their was to help figure out ways to cut the cost as much as they can.
On the other hand, they will not patch something together. It must be repaired right. They have an excellent reputation for doing quality work and will not compromise.
I know that this must sound like a commercial for Creative Coach, but it's not. There are many other fine mechanics and shops all across the country and the point I'm trying to make is that if you find one of these shops or mechanics, go back to them whenever possible.
I will be traveling about an additional 1000 miles this fall because Jim and Linda decided to go down to Florida for my repairs before going to North Carolina and Virgina to see their sons and their families. But, by doing that, the repairs have been made to me by someone they trust and they can now enjoy visiting with family instead of worrying about weather the repairs would be made properly at some shop along the way.
Oh, and one other thing. I usually don't like to "bash" a business, but this must be said.
Jim wants you to know that he does not recommend that you do business with, or have any repairs done at R & S in Mahomet Illinois where Jim and Linda bought me. In the last few months, he has found that the repairs that they were supposed to do to me before the sale were mostly "patch jobs" which were designed to make it seem like I was repaired without doing the job right. There have been many things found where they had cut corners and Jim and Linda have had to have them repaired again. They also told Jim some things that were untrue about me in order to make the sale without having to do some repairs, and there was also some deception as to what equipment I have.
Not much happened around here yesterday. Linda did some more laundry and Jim did some more re-organizing. Then for dinner, he cooked a nice big, juicy steak out on the grill while Linda cooked some vegetables inside.
Today we're going to head farther North. I don't know just how far we'll go, but Jim called Mike the other day and told him that we should getting to their area, (Apex, NC) by Monday.
Did you know that today is "National Grouch Day"?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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?
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?
Monday, October 10, 2011
One Week and Lots Of Rain
Lakeland, FL.
68 deg. overcast, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent
We have had way more rain over the weekend that was needed. Saturday morning was OK but windy and then in the afternoon it started raining quite hard and didn't quit until about the middle of the afternoon yesterday. There was water standing everywhere and there was quite a bit of flooding in the area.
Well, it's been one week since we've arrived here. I'm hoping that it won't be another full week before I get out of here and get back on the road. Oh, it's not bad here but it sure isn't like being in an RV park.
I finally got one of the pictures that Jim took to load. I have a really slow connection and it took forever, but I finally got it.
This is the parking area around behind the shop. There are big doors going into the shop between the first and second RVs and another one just to my right side. All of us RVs are hooked up to electric and there are a couple water faucets on the side of the building where we can hook up to fill our tanks. In order to dump though, we have to be moved around to the other side of this building where it's possible to dump into the buildings sewer system if necessary.
I don't know exactly what still needs to be done to me. I know there's a few small items and my rebuilt alternator needs to be re-installed. Jim is having the guys here install the SMI braking system on me and CLT, so that still needs to be done. But, I don't think that there's really any more big items that need to be looked at.
Maybe I can get out of here in a few days. : )
Did you know that Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and became a federal holiday in 1937?
68 deg. overcast, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent
We have had way more rain over the weekend that was needed. Saturday morning was OK but windy and then in the afternoon it started raining quite hard and didn't quit until about the middle of the afternoon yesterday. There was water standing everywhere and there was quite a bit of flooding in the area.
Well, it's been one week since we've arrived here. I'm hoping that it won't be another full week before I get out of here and get back on the road. Oh, it's not bad here but it sure isn't like being in an RV park.
I finally got one of the pictures that Jim took to load. I have a really slow connection and it took forever, but I finally got it.
This is the parking area around behind the shop. There are big doors going into the shop between the first and second RVs and another one just to my right side. All of us RVs are hooked up to electric and there are a couple water faucets on the side of the building where we can hook up to fill our tanks. In order to dump though, we have to be moved around to the other side of this building where it's possible to dump into the buildings sewer system if necessary.
I don't know exactly what still needs to be done to me. I know there's a few small items and my rebuilt alternator needs to be re-installed. Jim is having the guys here install the SMI braking system on me and CLT, so that still needs to be done. But, I don't think that there's really any more big items that need to be looked at.
Maybe I can get out of here in a few days. : )
Did you know that Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and became a federal holiday in 1937?
Saturday, October 8, 2011
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"?
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"?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
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?
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?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Ranting and Alabama To Georgia
Thomasville, GA.
deg. 71 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 90. West winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
I don't believe it!!!!!! 4:40 AM and this idiot is warming up his RV before leaving!!! It ran for at least 15 minutes and the last few minutes were at a high idle!!!! What are these people thinking? Don't they have any consideration at all for the other people in the CG????? : {
OK! I'm done ranting!!
It was right at 10:00 again when we pulled out of the Deer Run RV Park near Troy, AL. Once back on US 231, and heading South we moved right along until we came to Dothan. Now, don't get me wrong, Dothan us probably a very nice place, but their traffic it horrible!!!
Before you ever get to the belt route that runs all the way around the city, you have many, many traffic lights to deal with. Then as you go around the city on the belt route you have many, many more, as it's not a limited access by-pass route. : (
Jim says that it's been that way for years and can't understand why they don't built a real by-pass around the city.
Once past Dothan, and heading East on US 84 we started making some pretty good time again. In fact, it didn't seem to take long at all until we were crossing into Georgia. Then, it was just another hour or so until we were going around Thomasville on US 84 by-pass.
Once back to Business 84 we turned towards town and in just a few blocks we were at the City Of Roses RV Park.
It was right at 2:20 Eastern time when we got here, so it took us, (lets see now, I have to figure this out), . . . . . . . . Got it!! 3 hours and 20 minutes to travel 187 miles.
This is not a bad park, but it sure isn't anything special. But, for $15 a night, (Passport America rate), for a full hook-up site with 50 amp electric, you can't really complain too much. ; )
Today we'll continue heading South. I don't think we'll go any long distance because we really don't have that far to go, and my appointment with the mechanic isn't until Monday. Jim says that if they have a place to park me where he can plug me in, we may go there on Saturday or Sunday so I'll be there the 1st thing Monday morning.
He'll have to call down there to see if they have a spot.
Oh, depending on where we end up today, Jim says that there are a few places where we may stay that I may not have an Internet connection. So, I you don't hear from me, hang in there, I'll get you caught up on my wanderings as soon as I can. : )
Did you know that Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River?
deg. 71 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 90. West winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
I don't believe it!!!!!! 4:40 AM and this idiot is warming up his RV before leaving!!! It ran for at least 15 minutes and the last few minutes were at a high idle!!!! What are these people thinking? Don't they have any consideration at all for the other people in the CG????? : {
OK! I'm done ranting!!
It was right at 10:00 again when we pulled out of the Deer Run RV Park near Troy, AL. Once back on US 231, and heading South we moved right along until we came to Dothan. Now, don't get me wrong, Dothan us probably a very nice place, but their traffic it horrible!!!
Before you ever get to the belt route that runs all the way around the city, you have many, many traffic lights to deal with. Then as you go around the city on the belt route you have many, many more, as it's not a limited access by-pass route. : (
Jim says that it's been that way for years and can't understand why they don't built a real by-pass around the city.
Once past Dothan, and heading East on US 84 we started making some pretty good time again. In fact, it didn't seem to take long at all until we were crossing into Georgia. Then, it was just another hour or so until we were going around Thomasville on US 84 by-pass.
Once back to Business 84 we turned towards town and in just a few blocks we were at the City Of Roses RV Park.
Today we'll continue heading South. I don't think we'll go any long distance because we really don't have that far to go, and my appointment with the mechanic isn't until Monday. Jim says that if they have a place to park me where he can plug me in, we may go there on Saturday or Sunday so I'll be there the 1st thing Monday morning.
He'll have to call down there to see if they have a spot.
Oh, depending on where we end up today, Jim says that there are a few places where we may stay that I may not have an Internet connection. So, I you don't hear from me, hang in there, I'll get you caught up on my wanderings as soon as I can. : )
Did you know that Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River?
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Back to Tuesday, Faircamping and A Partial Plan
Evansville, IN.
67 deg. clear, no wind
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
I'm going to back up to Tuesday when we left Rantoul after finally getting my slide retracted.
We left Rantoul about 9:30 and the first thing Jim did was take me to an F S station in Rantoul and fill me up with diesel fuel. After I had my fill, we headed South on US 45 until we came to I-74 down by Champaign. Then we followed 74 East to Danville, IL, where we tuned South on IL Route 1. Rt 1 took us down to I-70 where we turned East and followed it into Indiana. A little ways into Indiana, we turned South on US 41 and followed it all the way down here to the Vanderburgh 4 H Fairgrounds.
The CG here is pretty nice, but it was filled up with RVs as they are having a craft show this weekend here at the fairgrounds. : ( But, Cindy, the nice lady in the office, arranged for me to be parked next to a small building in another section of the fairgrounds where there is a 30 amp electric connection and a water hydrant. : )
I'm kind of in the middle of a parking lot, but the electric is good, (119 volts), and the blacktop parking lot is level here where I'm parked. It's not the best place I've stayed at, but here in Evansville, you really don't have much else to choose from. And, for $18 a night, I can't complain too much. ; )
Yesterday, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to SMI to check the area out and to find exactly where they're located. CLT says that he was surprised at how small their parking lot is, since the one at their old location was much larger. He says that I could get in there OK, but he's not sure how I'd get turned around to head back out onto a busy 4 lane road.
Jim must have thought the same thing because I'm pretty sure that he's going to call SMI this morning to cancel the appointment and see if he can just purchase the kit and either try install it himself or have the mechanics install it when we get down to Florida.
Depending on how things go, we'll be leaving here sometime this morning. I don't know how far we'll get today, (it depends on when we'll be getting out of here.) There are a few campgrounds within a couple of hours of here, but if we decide go farther than that, we'd have to go quite a bit farther to find another one.
When Jim called Lester down in Florida he told Jim that he could get me in on the 3rd of October, so we actually have quite a bit of time to get down there. Jim has already made a trip plan and pretty much knows what roads we'll be taking down there.
Now, if he can find CGs for me to stay at along that route, we'll be all set. ; )
Did you know that on May 15,2011, Evansville, IN was featured in an brief article in Newsweek called "America's Most Sleep-Deprived Places", as one of the top 10 towns for insomniacs?
67 deg. clear, no wind
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
I'm going to back up to Tuesday when we left Rantoul after finally getting my slide retracted.
We left Rantoul about 9:30 and the first thing Jim did was take me to an F S station in Rantoul and fill me up with diesel fuel. After I had my fill, we headed South on US 45 until we came to I-74 down by Champaign. Then we followed 74 East to Danville, IL, where we tuned South on IL Route 1. Rt 1 took us down to I-70 where we turned East and followed it into Indiana. A little ways into Indiana, we turned South on US 41 and followed it all the way down here to the Vanderburgh 4 H Fairgrounds.
The CG here is pretty nice, but it was filled up with RVs as they are having a craft show this weekend here at the fairgrounds. : ( But, Cindy, the nice lady in the office, arranged for me to be parked next to a small building in another section of the fairgrounds where there is a 30 amp electric connection and a water hydrant. : )
I'm kind of in the middle of a parking lot, but the electric is good, (119 volts), and the blacktop parking lot is level here where I'm parked. It's not the best place I've stayed at, but here in Evansville, you really don't have much else to choose from. And, for $18 a night, I can't complain too much. ; )
Yesterday, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to SMI to check the area out and to find exactly where they're located. CLT says that he was surprised at how small their parking lot is, since the one at their old location was much larger. He says that I could get in there OK, but he's not sure how I'd get turned around to head back out onto a busy 4 lane road.
Jim must have thought the same thing because I'm pretty sure that he's going to call SMI this morning to cancel the appointment and see if he can just purchase the kit and either try install it himself or have the mechanics install it when we get down to Florida.
Depending on how things go, we'll be leaving here sometime this morning. I don't know how far we'll get today, (it depends on when we'll be getting out of here.) There are a few campgrounds within a couple of hours of here, but if we decide go farther than that, we'd have to go quite a bit farther to find another one.
When Jim called Lester down in Florida he told Jim that he could get me in on the 3rd of October, so we actually have quite a bit of time to get down there. Jim has already made a trip plan and pretty much knows what roads we'll be taking down there.
Now, if he can find CGs for me to stay at along that route, we'll be all set. ; )
Did you know that on May 15,2011, Evansville, IN was featured in an brief article in Newsweek called "America's Most Sleep-Deprived Places", as one of the top 10 towns for insomniacs?
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I Have A Problem and A Big Change Of Plans
Evansville, IN.
68 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 70s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.
I have a problem!! : (
When Jim and Linda getting me ready leave Rantoul, Jim pressed the button to bring in my living room / kitchen slide and after it came in about 1/2 way, it stopped!!! Then after moving the slide back out a little he started bringing it back in. It came in, but only after making a bunch of noise and jumping. It seemed like the top of the slide was sticking or there was something wrong with the track under the slide. : (
So, the slide is in and I can be fully used with that slide in, but it's really crowded with it in and very inconvenient. Needless to say, Jim and Linda are not "happy campers".
So, what are we going to do? Well, I don't know right now. CLT and I have that appointment at SMI tomorrow and after that, there may be some big changes to our travel plans!!
Oh wait!!!! Jim just called a mechanic that used to work on Myrddin!!
What???? We're going to Florida???? Now???
Yep. you read that right!!! After the appointment tomorrow, we're going to head down to Florida!!
The mechanic's name down there is Lester, and as many of you probably know, from Myrddin's blog posts, Jim and Linda trust him completely and know that he or the other mechanics down there will do the job right.
Now, I know you have all kinds of questions but I really don't have any details yet. Besides the slide I do have some other problems, (nothing major), so all of them will be taken care of while we're down there. Then, after the repairs I think Jim and Linda are still planning on going back up to North Carolina and Virginia to see Mike, Joe and their families.
You know, that's one of the best things about full-timing. You can change plans if you need to and go to repair shops and mechanics that you trust instead of someone who may or may not know what they are doing.
That's why we went to the HWH factory to get my levelers repaired and that's why were here in Evansville to go to the SMI factory to get the auxiliary braking system installed. These people know what they're doing, kind of like specialist doctors.
As soon as I learn more about our travel plans, I'll be sure to post them here.
Did you know that although Indiana means, "Land of the Indians" there are fewer than 8,000 Native Americans living in the state today?
68 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 70s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.
I have a problem!! : (
When Jim and Linda getting me ready leave Rantoul, Jim pressed the button to bring in my living room / kitchen slide and after it came in about 1/2 way, it stopped!!! Then after moving the slide back out a little he started bringing it back in. It came in, but only after making a bunch of noise and jumping. It seemed like the top of the slide was sticking or there was something wrong with the track under the slide. : (
So, the slide is in and I can be fully used with that slide in, but it's really crowded with it in and very inconvenient. Needless to say, Jim and Linda are not "happy campers".
So, what are we going to do? Well, I don't know right now. CLT and I have that appointment at SMI tomorrow and after that, there may be some big changes to our travel plans!!
Oh wait!!!! Jim just called a mechanic that used to work on Myrddin!!
What???? We're going to Florida???? Now???
Yep. you read that right!!! After the appointment tomorrow, we're going to head down to Florida!!
The mechanic's name down there is Lester, and as many of you probably know, from Myrddin's blog posts, Jim and Linda trust him completely and know that he or the other mechanics down there will do the job right.
Now, I know you have all kinds of questions but I really don't have any details yet. Besides the slide I do have some other problems, (nothing major), so all of them will be taken care of while we're down there. Then, after the repairs I think Jim and Linda are still planning on going back up to North Carolina and Virginia to see Mike, Joe and their families.
You know, that's one of the best things about full-timing. You can change plans if you need to and go to repair shops and mechanics that you trust instead of someone who may or may not know what they are doing.
That's why we went to the HWH factory to get my levelers repaired and that's why were here in Evansville to go to the SMI factory to get the auxiliary braking system installed. These people know what they're doing, kind of like specialist doctors.
As soon as I learn more about our travel plans, I'll be sure to post them here.
Did you know that although Indiana means, "Land of the Indians" there are fewer than 8,000 Native Americans living in the state today?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)