Moaning

My cold is on the down hill side I think.  The sore throat is gone and the nasal thing is just about over.  Carol says I sound sick.  I rather sound it than be it.

We packed up our “stuff” getting ready to go to the motel tomorrow.  I’m getting anxious to get this over with.  My anxiety level is high playing the “what if game.”  First concern right now is that don’t pick up our rig between 6 & 6:30 AM tomorrow morning.  I never received any paperwork (emails) about their procedures, etc. like in the past.  If forgotten, somewhere around 8 AM Newmar executives will know I’m here.  I know where the their offices are from previous interventions with bad workmanship and lack of concern at the lower levels.

I shined the wheels and wiped down the coach today.  I took a few pictures of the roof and went in the Pisca picture history and found some more “same problem” pictures for Newmar.  I printed some glossy 3X5 prints for ammunition to fire at the higher ups if need be.  A few pics among many.

I know some people call this attitude being aggressive.  When I meet them I will kick their butts…smile.  I call it not letting a big company walk on us.  This is only used after the “get more with honey”  attitude fails completely.  So far I’ve been very cordial is this matter and I think that has been a surprise for them because they deserve a lot more.  I will continue to hold them accountable for not doing their job right in the first place.  If they start to wave I will come down on them so hard that they will remember for sure.   Is that being nice.  No, nice can go out the window real quick based on their lack of at this point.  We as RVers have to hold manufactures to a standard that they say they are at.  Go to the big wigs of the company and ask them if they really care about their product.  It’s really that simple – kinda!

Well that’s enough of rambling about that.  I think you know I’m prepared for the worst so anything else will be great.

Watched some football and watched NASCAR.  Talked to some neighbors here.  One guy really has troubles.  While at Freightliner they plugged his coach into 240 volts.  It burnt all his 110 electronics up in the coach.  They are starting to penny pinch on him.  He has only started his battle with the dealership.  Makes our problem seem small.  Another couple has a 2012 Dutch Star with a severe paint problem.  The coach has orange peel and dust underneath the paint. It looks like a good Tiffin paint job.  Slam dunk – had too!Out of character for Newmar for sure.  Newmar has changed paint companies and are having growing pains at the cost of customers.

Anyhow…moan and groan here at Newmar.  It’s 3 AM and time to get back to bed….

See ya………….

Full Timing In Different Directions

It was sprinkling this morning when we got up.   But the weatherman said no chance here.  Dog on it.

Carol & I went to Denny’s for breakfast this morning.  Cracker Barrel is her favorite breakfast chain place and she loves their coffee.  Her favorite coffee is at McDonald’s.  I like it when the senior price is only 50 cents there.  McDonald’s has different prices for their senior coffee and some don’t even have it.  Anyhow Denny’s flunked this morning.  They’re Belgian waffle wasn’t cooked the first time round.   The replacement didn’t taste like a Belgian waffle and not even like a waffle.  It tasted more like a corn muffin.  So they didn’t charge her for that mess up or the egg and bacon that she ate that came with it.

My $2 biscuit & gravy with an egg was fine.  Total bill was $4 with Carol’s tea.  Yes we tipped the waitress ($2).

On the way there Carol noticed the trees are starting to change.

We got back and it stopped sprinkling.  I cancelled our Passport America reservations up in Fernley, NV for Late October where Walt & Kellie Gunn are working for Amazon. We were suppose to be there early October. Sorry guys but had to get this roof on our heads fixed AGAIN! See ya in January. That’s twice we stood them up. We were going to see them in Gillette, WY in July but ended up being co hosts with Ed & Sandy for the Escapees Outdoor Hop in Hatch, UT. We also cancelled out of being on the Escapade staff due to our daughter’s graduation in CA. This is becoming our norm of changing our schedule. I think they call it roaming around like in Full Timing RVing.  Full timers are sometimes going in different directions and don’t know it.

My firggin wiper replacements (Tiffin) are a pain in the butt. I had to cut  a notch smaller so they would stay on. I got a better idea. I won’t drive in the rain! I finally fixed them with a file, wire cutter and pliers and 15 minutes of my valuable time…smile.

Across from us is a little finger pond.   A finger pond is one that attaches to other ponds then to a big one.  I just made that up and it sounds pretty good.

I wiped the coach down a little bit but not the Jeep.

Here’s what’s dropping on our coach at night with a slight wind.  Hey, they’re not coconuts. 

303 Aerospace really brightens tail lights for a month or so.

We rather hook up in cool evening weather if possible rather in the morning cold.  Here's the boss checking my work.  She can hook it up all by herself and does often.

I grilled and we sat out and ate.

 

Then we sat out at our lazy fire pit (LP).

Tomorrow is Newmar Day.  I think it’s about 185 miles and we are going the short route – no Interstates.

See ya.

Today - Full Timing As Usual

I start this blog in the early morning usually.  Today I will try and get my meds at CVS.  Never done this before.   I also need to wash the Jeep and the Beast.  I guess we will go into town this morning to eat at Carol’s Cracker Barrel also.  Since it’s suppose to rain this morning I probably won’t wash the Beast early but it really needs it.The Jeep needs it because it has that rain road grime on it.  Can barely see out the side windows.  Oh, I need a headlight for the Beast.  One of my driving lights has gone out.  This will be fun.  It’s one of those bullet headlights.  I’m pretty sure I can get it at Newmar but don’t want to pay the higher cost.  Time will tell.

So this is my list of things to do today.  Carol has one also.  As full timers we have lists just like home owners due.  Ours are usually related to the RV and full timing itself.  When traveling it seems the list is just the important stuff like meds, wipers, headlights, etc. 

Well we went into the little local town of Clinton via a back road.  It was interesting. We haven’t been to Clinton in almost 10 years.  We had our 96 Dodge Ram diesel truck ABS system repaired at the local Dodge dealer.  We ate breakfast at the Dairy Queen that we ate at years ago.  It was the first place I ever saw an egg on biscuit & gravy.  Ahhhhh memories.

The little town had a CVS and getting my meds refilled was no problem.  Time has changed because it was a big hassle years ago.

While in town we drove thru a car wash for $5.  It wasn’t worth it.  Then we went to a $1.75 self wash.  The Jeep was still pretty dirty.

I also picked up a headlight at Advance Auto in town.  I installed it when we got back.  No big deal other than the $15 for a little bulb.

It was now time to wash the Beast.  I started it and realized I needed Carol’s help due to the hard water.  She dried each section after I washed it so we wouldn’t get hard water spots.  It worked pretty good.  About 3 hours later we were done and the wheels where shiny.  I put some 303 Aerospace stuff on the tires.  Looking good.

Then I wiped down the Jeep and it’s looking good too.

Here’s the new toy I couldn’t live without that I got at Cabala's.  It was $79 on sale and included everything you see.

While at Newmar this weekend we will prepare to live in a motel.  We now have experience in this being that we had a Tiffin and did that several times.  Take the valuable stuff with us, fill the ice chest with perishable food, sort clothes, take chargers, where’s the cat, where’s the wife, where’s my mind……..

Cracker Barrel tomorrow?

See ya……..

Departing Missouri

Can you say WET?  It rained all night long.  Not that little pitter patter stuff either. 

Oh well, 7:30 AM time to go…..Carol was up before me.  We hit rain in out most of the 398 miles.  My installation of the wipers didn’t turn out so good.  I reinstalled them but I need to work on them some more.  There Farton wipers what can I say?

We drove into that cloud of rain.  Wipers are holding.

There has to be a lot of poo around here with these honkers.

We stopped at Cabela’s above St Louis on I-270. I found something I couldn’t live without.  Details later.

I wonder if this is one of those places that get sold by the state because they don’t use it anymore?

Is this poo?

 

Oppps…be nice….Located at Effingham, IL.

We arrived 4 PM local (lost another hour).  The park is a Thousand Trails – Horseshoe Lakes.  We got a 30 AMP FHU and got sat TV with no problem.  We had about four sites to choose from in this area.  We will be here for 3 nights. 

I got fuel before here at the Flying J in MO.  The Beast was thirsty.  It took 124 gallons at $3.80 a gallon for a total of $473, damn……  I had another 15 safe gallons to go.  I got 6.4 MPG for a total of 800 miles.  That’s cruising at least 70 MPH and even at 75 MPH when permitted.  It seems the Beast don’t like doing about 60 MPH but rather between 65-70 MPH.  Fuel mileage remains the same pretty much.

The weather is cool with a low of 59 overnight and 70’s during the day. The humidity is going up.

See ya….

Fix It Yourself

Yesterday Denny & I took off the electrical wiring for my solar panels.  Although Newmar offered to do it I just don’t trust them.  They’re not experienced in solar stuff.  Maybe not in roofs either evidentially!

Today it was time to fix Denny’s door step.  It wouldn't go in.  It was a corroded connection. 

As a full timer you got to be able to try and fix things yourself. Either that or have a lot of money.

 

Denny carries at least twice as many tools as I do.  No, three times as many.

 

Here’s Denny & Susie’s sight.

Here we are down from them

We all went out for dinner at a little local Mexican restaurant.  I got something Mexican of course.  Can’t say it or spell it.  It was food and it was pretty good. 

It started to really rain in the evening and it continued all night.  It’s been a long time since we have been around this much rain.  Tomorrow (Wed) we move near Terre Haute which is about 400 miles.  One stop for fuel and one at Cabella’s for lunch time.

See ya……

Going South A Few Miles

More people were leaving today including us.  

We followed Denny & Susie and drove a whopping 32 miles south to a Corps of Engineer Park called Thibaut Point near Warsaw, MO.  We got 30 AMP for $9 a night with the Golden Access Passport.   

We all then went over to the visitor center.

 

Look a headless bird.

Then look who pulled up.

It’s the Geeks…Jim and Chris.  Dam they found us..quick..brake out your phones and start asking questions.

Denny & Carol having memories from there childhoods.

Then a turn of the century house.

No Denny…not there…it’s just for looks.

Then we went to the little town of Warsaw. 

The girls went into the junk shops (antiques).  The sign says it all for us guys.

We had a cookout on the grill for dinner.  Then it was fire and marshmallow time.

Smores anybody?

We stayed out until about 8 PM or so.  It turned out to be a pretty quiet day and needed by all.

Oh, me and Denny got on our roof and disconnected and removed the electrical wiring for the solar panels.  I didn’t want Newmar to mess with that when they put the new roof AND decking on.  Way to easy to mess up the wiring.  They can remove and reinstall the four large solar panels.

See ya……