Hi Guys,
Fall is nearly upon me and I'm still in NW Arkansas. Who knew it would take this long to get going? Actually, lots of people did and they post to RV forums all the time. I've been told by one guy that it took him two years to get prepared and head down the road. That's fine for him and however long it takes for others to get it together is fine, too. For me, I'm nearly there now and it's only taken 5 months. Just yesterday I dropped off the whale at an independent mechanic's shop to have the chassis and engine work done. I'm excited to find Chuck Thurman because he is not only capable of performing the work, but he's a nice person as well. I believe he really does have my best interest at heart and when he's done with his part I'll have a motorhome of my dreams worthy and capable of transporting me to Wonderland.
My whale was beached for six weeks at Coachlight RV service center up in Carthage, MO getting the bulk of the coach work done. Just to give you an idea of the kinds of things I've had done here is a short list. The list expanded to about 35 items in the end, but I won't go into that kind of detail.
1. New roof
2. New Dometic Penguin heat pumps x 2
3. New backup camera and monitor
4. New remote controlled spot light so powerful you can read a newspaper at 750 feet
5. New HD articulating satellite dish
6. New porcelain toilet with elongated bowl
7. New LED 3D TV's x 2 (40" up front, 22" in bedroom)
8. New dvr tuners x 2
9. New under cabinet 8 cup coffee maker
10. New mount installed for gas BBQ
11. New gas line quick connection installed for BBQ
12. New slideout tray installed
13. New freezer installed on slideout tray (wired for both 110v and 12v)
14. New ICC lights (LED) all around the roof line
15. New windshield wipers and washer system
The rest of the stuff done at Coachlight was repairing or refurbishing components that were either close to expiring or were already in disrepair. This is what happens when you buy a used motorhome and I fully expected to have to do this stuff. Truth is this is the ONLY way I was going to get the motorhome I really want. Even a factory new machine wouldn't have satisfied me, not for full-timing. Those who go part-timing are much more easily satisfied. The money is well spent and not a dime went towards being frivolous unless, of course, you consider new LED 3D TV's to be frivolous. But, who ever it was who said motorhomes were bottomless holes to throw money into wasn't exaggerating all that much. These are very complex machines with multiple systems that almost all have backups to add to the complexity. They are much like airplanes and large boats in that regard. Truth is I can't complain because when I finally embark on my new adventures I'll be traveling in a vehicle that is as close to perfect as a motorhome can be.
Then there is the saga of the Blue Ox Tru-Center steering stabilizer. Turns out the parts they sent would not mount on my chassis. When I called I was informed that they do not have adapter kits for independent front suspensions and that if I wanted to still proceed with their equipment I'd have to drive up to NE Nebraska for a custom fit. So, up to Pender, NE I drove and along the way I was reminded several times exactly why I was pursuing a steering stabilizer in the first place. While driving on Hwy 9 I entered a long sweeping left hander at the speed limit, 60 mph. The shoulder was gravel and about 8 feet wide. Well, I dropped my front right wheel off the asphalt onto the gravel and the rocks started pulling me further and further to the right. I was surprised at the reaction of the motorhome because it was heading to the ditch without any help from me. I wrestled with the wheel and every time I would attempt to get the right side wheels back on the road they would only bounce off the asphalt lip and head once again towards the ditch. The good news here is that I wasn't in Arkansas when this happened because Arkansas doesn't have 8 foot wide shoulders. Instead, Arkansas has rock walls and sheer drop offs. The motorhome's reaction to the soft shoulder was shocking, to put it mildly. For a split second I had some doubts, but only for that moment. As I slowed I was able to bring the beast better under control and I was able to get her back on the road. There should be some special training required before someone is allowed to drive these 15 ton machines, but there aren't. We're talking about 34,000 pounds of machinery with air brakes, big diesel pusher engines and road manners that make them a real hazard on the road. I once asked a tech up at the Newmar factory why they didn't use thicker wood in the roof structure and he said, "we don't like it when our motorhomes tip over in the wind". What can one really say? I guess handling is secondary to other considerations when you put wheels under a house and roll it down the road.
When I arrived up in Pender, NE I pulled into my designated parking space at the Blue Ox factory RV park. There would be no charge for the stay and it was nice to have full hookups for the first time ever. I just wished I hadn't left my sewer hose behind in AR. I wasn't concerned, though, because I had a 45 gallon tank for black water and a 65 gallon tank for gray. This would be the first time I would be able to actually live in my motorhome and I was excited to sample the traveling lifestyle. I put down my jacks to level the coach, deployed the living room and bedroom slideouts and raised my new Dish Network HD satellite antennae. For a few minutes there were electric motors whirring in all directions and I could feel my motorhome transforming into what it is really meant to be, a home. Expanding the living room and bedroom by 3 feet is no small thing and I found that after just a short time I was really relaxing and feeling at home. The 40" LED TV up front is plenty big when viewed up close and as much as I love my 72" TV at home this one would do very nicely as a substitute. I spread out a throw on the couch and laid down to watch TV and realized something. This isn't any different from lying on the couch at home. If I wanted to continue to be a couch potato I could, but is that really what I wanted? At that moment it was and I settled into a power nap with the History Channel playing in the background. It was home. Romeo, my little 4.9 lb Maltese also settled into his position lying against my legs further down the couch and he was content. There would be no squirrels to chase this day, but he seemed ok with it all.
When morning came around I was escorted to the factory by Blue Ox's salesman, Mike. Mike is an affable enough guy and had a great attitude. I was made to feel welcome and given one of the factory pickup trucks to use while they worked on my Dutch Star. Pender, Nebraska has a population of about two thousand with three gas stations, one restaurant, three bars and a tiny grocery store. There is also an old, dated Rexall Drug Store on main street with a very old soda fountain that is no longer operational. I was hoping for a cherry phosphate, but it wasn't happening. They did serve ice cream cones along with their various sundries, but that's not the same thing, right? Maybe in my future travels I'll be able to find a real soda fountain. I hope so.
For those who have never been to Nebraska let me tell you there is a reason the University teams are called, "Corn Huskers". For hundreds of miles I saw nothing but corn and soybean fields in every direction for as far as the eye could see. This was mid western agriculture at its corporate best. It is truly staggering to see so much food being grown. And I'm convinced that if we turned our attention to it we could, in fact, feed the entire world. Every now and again along the road I'd see evidence of the other thing Nebraska is famous for, pheasant. I quit hunting a long time ago, but I must say when I saw pheasant flying across the road my old instinct surfaced and I would mentally lead the birds and, boom, shoot my imaginary shotgun. I still own guns, three of which are shotguns. I'm going to take them along when I full-time because I still enjoy shooting at guns clubs when the opportunity presents itself. But, if I had someone pulling on my arm and dragging me to a pheasant field to shoot over someone's setters and pointers I must say I'd be tempted. I don't have anything against hunting, to be honest. I quit only because I lost the lust for the kill. Killing just isn't in me these days or I don't think it is. I could make an exception, though. After all, what's the difference in killing a fish I catch versus a warm blooded animal that flies or lives in the woods? Actually, I'm at a point in my life when I don't even like to put live crabs, crawfish or lobster into boiling water. I do it, anyway, and that's about all I can say about that. Killing animals (mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and certain insects) isn't my favorite thing to do, but we all do it either by proxy or by our own hands. Death, it turns out, is as much a part of life as anything and to deny our role in Nature is to not really face reality head on. I'm not saying that we should all experience a beef slaughter house or that we should embrace blood letting for just any reason. All I'm saying is that killing isn't inherently a bad thing. From my perspective animals were put on earth to live at our convenience. They deserve a certain amount of respect for giving their all for our sustenance. If this doesn't sit well with you then I'm sorry.
It took from Tuesday morning to Friday afternoon late to get the steering stabilizer sorted out. Saturday morning I pulled out onto the highway once more and headed back south. I'd need to calculate a new route, though, because with all the flooding from the Missouri River I-29 is closed north of Rockport. Going north I had to detour over four hours to get around the flooding and the trip had taken a lot longer than I had originally anticipated. The only really cool thing I saw driving through the rolling hills was a wind farm. I had never really seen a huge wind generator in person and they are truly massive. The base of the tapered pole looked to be 10 feet wide and I don't know how long each blade was, but they appeared to be close to 60-80 feet in length. These beautiful white sentinels of the prairie could be seen from a great distance and they are so huge that they appear to be turning in slow motion. I don't know that I'd want those things in my back yard, but they would be preferable to a nuclear plant or a coal fueled power station. I wanted to take pics and video of the windmill farm, but the traffic was heavy given so many cars and tractor trailers were having to detour. I can tell you the local law was having a field day writing speeding tickets to all those less patient drivers having to endure their own time delays. That was about the only positive thing I saw as a result of the flooding, increased revenues for the locals due to detours. My new GPS would have informed me of the flooding problem had it not crapped out 20 minutes into the journey. It's going back to the factory. I had plenty of maps on hand, so navigating the countryside of AR, MO, KS and NE was not a problem. It was kind of nice to not have to listen to that female voice, "left turn in one quarter mile", "left turn ahead", "please make a U-turn ahead and resume on the original course". Following turn directions from a computer voice is one thing, but it's more Zen to go it with maps. I will buy another GPS because they are easier, but it was almost nostalgic to use the maps once again.
It didn't take long after heading south out of Pender for me to realize the true value of the steering modification installed at the factory. The Blue Ox Tru-Center steering stabilizer is a miracle of technological achievement and it has transformed my motorhome into a road worthy and safer coach. Most all of the coach's tendency to wander is now gone. Further, with the "on the fly" recentering feature I can make little adjustments in steering pressure to compensate for stiff crosswinds and changing crowns (slope of roadway) on the highway. I found I could finally relax while driving and was grateful for the positive feedback I was getting from the steering. If nothing else I felt safer. It's my opinion that no motorhome should ever be allowed to leave the factory without one of these installed. That's how strongly I feel about steering stabilizers. I pulled into a space at our home RV park in the late afternoon Sunday. It was an almost uneventful two day drive. One thing I found curious, though. When I crossed over into Kansas the color of the asphalt road changed from black to red. It was kinda cool and unexpected.
I took the Dutch Star to Springdale, AR yesterday and dropped it at a diesel/chassis mechanic's shop. He's going to do the last of the work to the motorhome. He's going to service the chassis and engine and then install my Banks Engineering Turbo Power Pak. When I bring it home next week I'll start provisioning from the house and prepare for the long term prospects of the open road. Today I got the Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 out of the shop and I'm pleased to report the new drive shaft de-coupler works. All that's left to do on the Nissan is to install the Thule (pronounced TuLee) kayak rack, install the Brake Buddy aux brake system in the Nissan and find some magnetic tail lights I can mount at the rear. I'm hoping I can figure out all the last stuff by myself. We'll see.
I know those of you who are following this blog are not here to read about all the preparations leading up to my official launch, but that's all I've had to write about to this point. It's the middle of September now and I'm thinking I'm going to change up my itinerary due to getting a late start. Since it could start snowing in the Rockies any time now I'm thinking South and not North. Even up in Pender the nights were brisk and I had to run my heat pumps to stay comfortable. I'm thinking that Glacier, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion and all those other Western National Parks will have to wait until 2012. Today I'm shopping for RV parks down in the Florida Keys and that turning away from the mountains at this point is a good idea, anyway. Truth is I'm in no shape to hike in the mountains. They would be way too taxing on my out of shape body. I'm now thinking the best exercise I can get is in the clear azure waters of the Keys. So, I'm going to spend most of this Fall and Winter down in the Florida sunshine scuba diving, snorkeling, spearfishing and fishing. I don't expect to lose all my weight by Spring, but I do expect to be in a lot better physical condition by then. We'll see. I should be in good enough condition to then go to the Rockies and play in the National Parks.
I've been a certified scuba diver since 1969 and back in 1988 I took a refresher course that brought me back up to speed. Since then the regs have changed and you now have to get an Advanced Open Water Certification if you plan on diving deeper than 60 feet. And if you're going to enter a wreck you have to have a dive computer with you. Apparently they've had a number of accidents and came to the realization that better training was the answer. I see it as an opportunity to better my skills. I called a dive shop down in Ft. Lauderdale and was quoted $450 for their Advanced course. I called locally and the price was $175. I'm taking the course here. It's a two day course with five total dives and I get to pick my modules. I just wish I fit into my wet suit a little better right now because the temperature drops below the thermocline in Beaver Lake to a chilly 67 degrees. Brrr. Maybe they'll have a big boy wet suit I can rent for the time being. I won't need one down in the Keys until later this year and even then my thin 3mm shorty wet suit will be adequate.
I called an old friend from the mid 60's who was my older brother's best friend. His name is JR or Johnny. JR and my deceased brother, Bill, used to do everything together be it hunting and fishing. JR has lived on Key Marathon for the last 32 years and his backyard is the Atlantic Ocean, which is very cool, indeed. He's a true authority on Keys fishing and diving and I'll be following his lead, at least at first. He told me to come down and he'd help me fill my new freezer with lobster tails. All I can say is YIPPEEE!! I love lobster, even the spiny lobster of the Keys and it's on my diet. YES!! I'll just cut back a little on the garlic butter. I'm really looking forward to learning the ropes from Johnny. When I talk with him I hear a lot of my brother's voice in his. And that's a nice thing. I can't wait to get wet down there. I've got everything I need to refurbish my speargun and I'll be doing that today. My other equipment is a little dated, but it's in good enough shape that I will not be replacing anything, except my mask. The silicone is discolored and opaque looking and I expect the strap is going to break soon. My fins are still in good shape, but they are an older technology. I will probably replace them sometime down the road.
My next post to this blog will be after I've launched and I'm on my way East. I was thinking about a detour up to the Chesapeake Bay area to fish for stripers and eat some fresh blue crabs and dungeness crabs. It would almost be worth it to make the trip to Baltimore just to eat at that "all you can eat" crab house I know about. I guarantee they'll lose money on me at $22. I believe I can digest crab faster than I can eat it. Dungeness are special in that they hold a lot more meat than blue crabs. But, like any crab if you don't know "how" to eat them then it is less than a labor of love. Back in the mid-70's I went to a little crab shack outside of Sarasota and I met an elderly man who took pity on me and taught me the correct, most efficient way to eat blue crabs. I enjoy teaching the technique to others. Knowing how to eat crabs properly is a real relief if one loves crabs the way I do. So, if you'd like to join me sometime I'll be happy to show you the path to crab heaven.
My Best,
John
No comments:
Post a Comment