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?

A Little Repair, Dinner At Perkins and More Photo Albums

Moncure, NC

45 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 63F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.


Sunday was a very nice day, (once it warmed up a little in the morning), so Jim spent quite a bit of time outside doing "things".

One thing he definitely wanted to get done was to check my front clearance lights. These lights have leaked water into me before when it rains and after the last heavy rain we had, there was a small amount of water running down on the inside of my windshield.

Even before Jim and Linda bought me, one of my previous owners had put sealer all around each light, (the lights are kind of recessed into the panel over my windshield), and once before, Jim had added additional sealer to stop a leak. This time, he added a little more where it looked like the sealant had pulled away from the lights and we're hoping that this will take care of the problem.

Since he had to get his folding step ladder out to reach the lights, he also used it to spay a little silicone spray on my main awning joints and roller tube ends. When he sprays these areas, it seems to make the awning open and close easier, putting less strain on the little electric motor.

While Jim was busy outside, Linda was digging through the last box of photo albums. In this box, she has found a whole bunch of photos plus a whole bunch of birth announcements and other papers that have important information about family members.

As planned, for dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the Perkins Restaurant in Apex, to have dinner with Mike and his family. CLT says that everyone seemed to enjoy their meals, but of course the main reason for being there was to spend time with family. ; )

After eating and talking for awhile, CLT brought Jim and Linda back here and Mike and his family headed back to their house.

Yesterday morning started out with a pretty sunrise. Jim took this photo from my site here in the park, so I thought I'd share. ; )

As soon as Linda got up, she and Jim continued going through more albums. They found a whole bunch of family photos in one of the albums that Jim's mother had put together many, many years ago, and spent the better part of the day working on them.

During the morning, the clouds started moving in and for a good part of the afternoon we had showers, some of them quite heavy. Then, about 5:00 Jim and Linda took CLT and headed back to Mike and Gina's for dinner and to visit some more. After a yet another nice meal, they visited to around 7:30 and then headed back here.

Today, being that it's our last day here, Jim and Linda have to get done with the photo albums. Jim also needs to dump my tanks and add a little water to my fresh water tank. Then, I'm quite sure he'll put all the hoses away so he doesn't have to do it in the morning when it's cold and those hoses are stiff as a board!  : )

Did you know that North Carolina has 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in size and 37,000 miles of fresh water streams?

No Big Deal

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

I didn't want to make a big deal about it and I don't  want you to think you need to send cards or anything, but yesterday was my birthday. : )  Yep, my Newmar Corporation Label says that I was manufactured on 07/29/99 as a 2000 model, so that makes me 13 years old!!! : (

Wow!!!! I don't feel that old!!!!

Jim and Linda didn't go shopping yesterday. In the morning, Jim got busy changing the tube in his bike tire. It wasn't a job that should have taken very long, but as he was putting the wheel back on the bike, he noticed a problem with the chain and had to work on that before he could put the wheel on.

In the afternoon, both Jim and Linda got interested in the Olympic games on TV and really didn't feel like going shopping, so the decision was made to go today, instead.

We still haven't had any rain here in Central Illinois, and every thing is getting drier and drier. The threat of grass and field fires is climbing and in some areas, there is a ban on any kind of fires, including charcoal grill fires. Of course the crops in the fields are suffering more and more, and if we don't get rain pretty soon, there won't be any crops left to harvest. : (

Did you know that the five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana, and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions? The colors were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world.

Repairs Made and A Recommendation

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?

May Have Found The Problem

Bakersfield, CA.

55 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 72F. Winds from the NW at 10 to 15 mph.


About 10:00 yesterday morning, Jim raised my front end with my leveling jacks so that he could get under me to check out my electric steps. Once under me, he started by checking wire connections, and one of the first ones he checked, he found a corroded pin in the connector.

After checking other connections, and cleaning the corroded one with contact cleaner, he put it back together. When he came out from under me, he opened and closed my door a bunch of times, and the steps worked every time.

I think he may have found the problem! ; )

As long as the front of me was raised up, he decided to lube all the pivot points on the steps right away too. It had been quite awhile since that had been done.

After finishing with the steps, he opened my generator compartment and checked the fluid levels on the generator. Then, as long as he was at it, he checked my engine levels too.

The rest of the day was spent just doing "stuff". You know, doing laundry, reading, playing with the computers, taking naps and taking a walk around the park.

Did you know that in Los Angeles it's against the law to lick a toad?

A Little Cleaning, A Potluck Dinner and A Little Music

Deming, NM.

41 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 79F. Winds from the WSW at 5 to 10 mph


Jim was up and busy cleaning the inside of me before Linda even woke up. He cleaned the bathroom, shook out the throw rugs and swept the floors and had it all done by about 9:00.

It wasn't a real thorough job of cleaning, but lets face it, we're going to be in the desert for the next week or so, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more dust and sand getting inside of me during that time. ; )

Being that they had signed up to go to the potluck at the park Clubhouse, Linda put together a green bean casserole and partially cooked it in my oven after she got up and had her breakfast. Then, after lunch, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed into town to mail a form to the bank and scope out a place where I could get into to get a drink of #2 diesel.

They mailed the form and found a truck stop at the West edge of Deming where I can get that drink this morning, when we leave here.

Yep, that right. We're leaving here already this morning. I sure wish we could have stayed longer, but as most of you know, plans do change. : (

Also after lunch, Jim tightened up my alternator belt. It was squealing a little at times when my engine was first started. It didn't take him long to snug it up and soon he was done and inside, taking a nap. ; )

About 5:00, Linda finished cooking the casserole and then about 5:45, she and Jim took CLT and headed over to the Clubhouse.

From what I understand, the potluck was a great success and there was more food than could be eaten. Quite a few people attended and Jim and Linda said they thought everyone enjoyed the meal.

Then as an added bonus, a group started playing music after the meal. There were 5 in the group and they played and sang a wide variety of songs. They must have been pretty good because I could hear the clapping way over here at my site. ; )

About 7:30 Jim and Linda came back here, watched some TV and then went to bed after the news.

Did you know that Leprechauns are the official shoe makers of the fairy kingdom?

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?

Successful Installation, Visiting With The Illinois Bunch and Time To Head West

Thonotosassa, FL.

62 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog early in the morning. A chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s near the coast and in the lower 80s inland. Southeast winds around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of rain 30 percent.

About 10:30, Jim took some garbage to the dumpster and then headed to Denny and Bev's. Denny was just getting ready to start working on installing the new spring air bag, so Jim stayed and helped. He says he couldn't do much but did get tools and stuff for Denny when he needed them.

The installation went much more smoothly than the removal and by a little after 12:00 they were done. : )

While he was over there, Dee Dee stopped by to visit with Linda. They hadn't had much opportunity to talk while we've been here so Linda was glad to see her. : )

After lunch, Jim dumped my tanks, put away the hoses, loaded his bicycle into the back of CLT, took a nap and then about 3:00 he and Linda went over to Denny and Bev's for a visit.

About 4:00, Jim and Denny went over to Gordy's for "happy hour" while Linda stayed and visited with Bev.

When Jim and Linda came back here they ate dinner, (a pork steak cooked on the grill and some asparagus cooked on my stove), then watched TV and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

It's been a short but good visit with the "Illinois Bunch" here at Southern Aire, but now it's time for us to start heading West. There are already plans to stop by and visit with some friends along the way in the panhandle of Florida and in Alabama. And, it's hoped that we'll cross paths with more of Jim and Linda's friends as we make our way across the South. ; )

A Point to Ponder : Why does mineral water that has "trickled through mountains for centuries" go out of date next year?

Groceries and Helping Denny

Thonotosassa, FL.

62 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s near the coast and in the lower 80s inland. East winds around 10 mph.

Denny stopped by for awhile yesterday morning. His Winnebago Brave MH has a chassis that has air bags inside of the front coil springs and he can't air one of the bags, so he was wanting Jim to stop by later and give him a hand to try to find out what the problem was.

Since Linda and Jim had decided to go get groceries, Jim said that he'd stop by as soon as they returned, which was fine with Denny. : )

So, after Jim and Linda got back from getting groceries, (plus getting CLT a drink of 87 octane), and had most of the groceries put away, Jim go on his bike and headed over to Denny and Bev's site to help if he could.

By the time he got over there, Denny had already found out that the air bag itself was leaking and was in the process of removing it.

Now, if any of you have tried to do this, you already know that it's not an easy job. I this case, the air bag was stiffer than normal, (probably from age), and would not collapse enough to pull it out through the hole in the lower "A" frame.

So with the help of a couple vise grips, a saws-all and lots of struggling, the bag was finally chopped up enough to get it out. : (

By this time it was after 4:00 and Denny and Jim were missing "happy hour" over at Gordy's. : O  So, after cleaning up a little, they headed over there.

It was close to 5:30 by the time Jim came back here to my site, so Linda started to put dinner together. After dinner, they watched TV, read and worked/played with the computers until bedtime.

Today, I'm sure Jim will end up back at Denny and Bev's to try help Denny install that new air bag. There's not much room under the MH so he probably won't be able to do much.

He also needs to start getting me ready to travel because tomorrow, we'll be leaving here to start heading out West. 

Did you know that today is "Ice Cream For Breakfast Day" ?

There's Been A Change In The Weather, More Pictures, A Movie and Shopping

DeBary, FL.

53 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast =

Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

There's definitely been a change in the weather around here. After a cold front with rain came through the other night the temperature has dropped to almost 20 degrees colder than it had been. That's OK though, I just checked the weather up in Rantoul, IL., and it's only 28 deg up there this morning!!!

Brrrrrrr!!!!

Jim took a few more photos of the park so I thought I'd post them this morning.

This first one is of the boat ramp / marina that you see as you come up to the entrance of the park. There's always a lot of activity here as it's one of the nicest ramps in the area.

This next photo is of the swimming pool area. It's all fenced in, the pool has a roof over it and is screened in to help swimmers avoid the bugs during certain times of the year.

This is the fishing lake and they ask that only children fish here, and of course it's catch and release, but the kids seem to have a good time.

This last photo is of a little "island" in the middle of the main road. Jim and Linda say that they put up all kinds of Christmas decorations on this little patch of ground so it should be real pretty. Also, do you see that road running off to the right of the right side of this island? Well, just about 20' down that road is where I'm parked, so I should be able to see all the decorations right from my site. ; )

Linda went to see a movie with Laura and Ashley yesterday afternoon. She said that they had a good time and really enjoyed the movie. (Sorry I don't remember what the name of the movie was) : (

While they were at the movie, Jim took CLT and headed to a new Auto Zone store that is just down the street from here. He did more looking than anything else, but did buy some molding tape to use to attach a piece of gutter, (that he got from Dan at Creative Coach),  over my entrance door.

From there he went to an Ace Hardware store and bought me a new smoke detector. The one that was in me was old and started going off for no reason a few days ago.

When he came back here, he installed the smoke detector and cleaned up the piece of gutter so it would be ready to install when the weather gets warmer.

I have no idea what's happening today. It's supposed to be cool today so Jim probably won' be able to install that gutter. (the directions on the mounting tape say it should be at least 65 degrees). Laura is working so she won't be stopping by, and there's nothing planned here in the park.

Hmmm!! Maybe it's just a "kick back" day!!  ; )

Did you know that the first truly affordable home smoke detector was invented by Duane D. Pearsall in 1965, featuring an individual battery powered unit that could be easily installed and replaced?

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?

Four "Ifs", A "May" And A "Might", A Great Lunch With Great Friends and A Surprise Visit

Lakeland, FL.

64 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...then a chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s near the coast and in the lower 80s inland. Southwest winds around 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Dan, took my furnace apart yesterday morning and found out that there were some bearings worn out and the little 12 volt motor was bad.

So, parts were ordered and "if", (and it's a big "if"), the parts come in today, (One day overnight delivery), and "if" all the parts are correct, and "if" Dan gets it put back together and "if" there aren't other unforeseen problems, my repairs "may" be completed today, and I "might" be able to leave here today and go to to DeBary in time for Thanksgiving!!!  : )

Now, many things can go wrong with all of this, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but it's really hard not to. I have to remember that it's a very good possibility that Jim, Linda and I will be spending the holiday right here in this parking lot. : (

A little before noon, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the Bob Evans Restaurant to meet up with their long time RVing friends, Roland and Louise. From what I understand, they had a very nice meal and a very nice visit with them. After eating and catching up on what has been happening since they came to visit Jim, Linda and me up in Rantoul this past summer, they all came back here and visited for awhile longer!!

What a great surprise!!!! I really didn't think I'd get to see them!!!

After talking for awhile, Roland and Louise had to leave as they had another stop they wanted to make before heading back down to Frostproof where their Motor Home, ( Big Herb), is parked for the winter.

So, today, we'll see what happens. Maybe, just maybe, things will go right and tomorrow morning I'll be posting on this blog from DeBary.

Did you know that age is a determining factor in the taste of turkey? Old, large males are preferable to young toms (males) as tom meat is stringy. The opposite is true for females: old hens are tougher birds.

 

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.

Cleaning and A Comment On A Comment

Callahan, FL.

54 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Areas of dense fog in the morning. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Jim and Linda spent a good part of yesterday giving the inside of me a good cleaning. It hadn't been done for awhile and it showed. ; O 

Jim also dumped my tanks and filed up fresh water tank in preparation for going to see my mechanic in Lakeland, (Only electric hook-up there), talked to the neighbors for awhile, took a walk around the park, and cooked a couple burgers on the grill for dinner.

Meanwhile, Linda was doing laundry and working on her latest embroidery project.

Today we'll head to Lakeland. It's about 200 miles down there so it'll take awhile, but there's really no hurry as once we get there, I'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning before anyone will be around to work on me anyway. I don't even know if there will be an electric hook-up available for me, so I may have to boon-dock for the night.

I usually don't make comments on the comments that I receive, but yesterday, I received a very nice comment from Rod and Loyce Ivers, (some very loyal readers of this blog), that made me feel a whole lot better about my needed repairs.

Here's the comment that I received.

"I'm not too sure that embarrassed would be the correct way to describe that further repairs are needed. It seems like every time you move a motorhome, you need to take stock of what was broken in the process. Fixing these things up are kind of like that big drink of #2 diesel. Its just the cost of moving from point A to Point B. Its the cost of the activity in which we choose to partake... Your lucky that you have Lester and his crew to take care of all of this in minimal time, and probably minimal expense too as compared to folks that don't get the job done right the first time.... JMHO."

After reading that, I have to admit that embarrassed my not be the best way to describe my feelings. It's just that I know that I've already cost Jim and Linda a bunch of money, (especially with the tires that needed to be replaced), and I was hoping that I could go for awhile without having anything else go wrong.  But, Rod and Loyce are right. We RVs do take a beating, traveling down these roads and we do need a lot of up-keep and repairs to keep us road ready. And, I am very lucky that Jim and Linda know Lester and his crew, who know how to get me back in tip top shape again. ; )

Full-timing is a great way to live and it's really great to be able to travel all across this country to see the sights and visit family, but contrary to popular belief, it's not a real cheap way to live. Maintenance and repairs are needed just like they would be in a stix and brix home. And, in fact, sometimes more.

A Point to Ponder : If you decide that you're indecisive, which one are you?

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"?

Back On The Road

Callahan, FL.

67 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with slight chance of showers in the morning...then partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.


It took Jim  a little longer than usual to get CLT hooked to the back of me. He had to make sure that the air hose from my brake system was routed so that it didn't get hung up on anything while I made turns or went through dips or over humps. Then, there was also the little cable from the break-a-way switch that had to be attached to the back of me and needed to be routed also.

Even with the extra time spent doing all of that, we still pulled out of the parking lot at Creative Coach a little before 9:00. : )

After returning to I-4, we headed back towards Tampa where we turned North on I-75 and retraced our route back up to Ocala. Just North of Ocala, we turned East on Rt 326 and took it for a few miles until we came to US 301 where we turned back North. 301 then brought us all the way up here to Kelly's Countryside RV Park, which is a few miles North of Callahan and right on US 301.

I had never been to this park before, but I can sure see why Jim and Linda like it so much. The folks here are very friendly, they have sites of all sizes to accommodate just about any size RV, and if you're just staying over night or for a few days, they even have some pull-through sites so you don't even have to unhook if you don't want to.

For Jim and Linda it was a pretty long travel day. It was 1:20 when we pulled into the RV Park, so we were on the road for 4 hours and 25 minutes and covered 232 miles.

Jim and Linda both felt that they needed a couple days to just kick back, do laundry and reorganize some of the things inside of me that needed to be moved for repairs. So, when Jim registered me, he payed for 3 nights. : )  That's just fine with me. It was pretty nerve wracking at the repair place, having to always be ready to be worked on at few minutes notice, and then at times, worrying about what they were going to find as they made the repairs.

Yep, I think 3 nights here in a nice quiet RV Park will be just fine. ; )

A Point to Ponder : If anything is possible, then is it possible that nothing is possible?

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?

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?

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?