Saturday, June 30, 2007
it's getting warmer
Last day of June. We had an uneventful trip from Nashville to Byron, GA where we are camped in a place off the highway which has 50 amps but not much else. To my total surprise, I found wi-fi here. Should make it to Naples tomorrow.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
leaving Duncan in Elkhart, IN
Ready to leave at 8:30am but the bedroom slide won't come in. First time ever we had slide trouble and here we are ready to roll after many weeks of waiting for this or that. A quick trip to see Jim Deavers in his office produced chuckles as the coach seemed to have a mind of it own about staying there. He quickly had a man there and within half an hour the problem was fixed with a new gear box for the rear slide. After paying the bill we finally got to leave around 9:30.
Wew drove through hell and high water in stretches of Indiana and Kentucky. Storms and rain by the bucket accompanied us much of the way. It was not a pleasant drive but we arrived in the early afternoon here at Nashville Country RV Park and were surprised how full the place was. They really had no room for me but when the owner's wife looked out at our coach she magically had a spot right at the entrance in spot #1. This has happened to us before. We present a nice attraction for others. So we got 50 amps and a full hookup with a nice WI-FI connection. Tomorrow we'll go and visit Nashville to see the sights.
Wew drove through hell and high water in stretches of Indiana and Kentucky. Storms and rain by the bucket accompanied us much of the way. It was not a pleasant drive but we arrived in the early afternoon here at Nashville Country RV Park and were surprised how full the place was. They really had no room for me but when the owner's wife looked out at our coach she magically had a spot right at the entrance in spot #1. This has happened to us before. We present a nice attraction for others. So we got 50 amps and a full hookup with a nice WI-FI connection. Tomorrow we'll go and visit Nashville to see the sights.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
all work is complete
Wednesday night - the clearcoat was polished to a fine sheen and the diamond shield is protecting it. We are finished and will be heading south towards hot, hot Florida in the morning.
All the waiting around is finally over.
All the waiting around is finally over.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Monday morning
Our weekend went well except for the quick stop in Chicago. The rest stop at the Holiday Inn produced another surprise on Sunday morning - a wonderful breakfast in a nicely decorated dining area.
We decided to drive across Indiana to the other side of Lake Michigan to visit the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum. It was a long drive but well worth the trip. As I love history and all that is connected to the past, this was a real dream come true. Here we were in the place were these cars were manufactured and displayed as they have come home again. The magnificence of these vehicles is beyond description. The museum is well worth a visit maybe even on an annual basis as things keep changing there.
Today our awning is to go up. The rounded front end which we especially ordered can not be installed as it would protrude too far over the windshield. So we'll have to live with a flat end against the wind. The awning is also a 12 volt job instead of 110. There is no remote and the on/off switch needs to be held down while the awning is in motion. Cést la vie.
Haven't seen the painters there yet and not a sign of the diamond shield guy.
We are wondering as to the status of Angela and the family's Mediterranean Cruise. They left here in Friday for Barcelona and will spend some time going from port to port. We hope to get some email and pictures as Rick was adamant about seeing Pompeii. Eventually they will drop Amanda off at the Sorbonne for a month of heavy duty French lessons. I know we won't get any email from her. It was really great knews to hear that she made the honor roll at the George school for her Sophomore year. We hope she's in a groove of some sort now.
We decided to drive across Indiana to the other side of Lake Michigan to visit the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum. It was a long drive but well worth the trip. As I love history and all that is connected to the past, this was a real dream come true. Here we were in the place were these cars were manufactured and displayed as they have come home again. The magnificence of these vehicles is beyond description. The museum is well worth a visit maybe even on an annual basis as things keep changing there.
Today our awning is to go up. The rounded front end which we especially ordered can not be installed as it would protrude too far over the windshield. So we'll have to live with a flat end against the wind. The awning is also a 12 volt job instead of 110. There is no remote and the on/off switch needs to be held down while the awning is in motion. Cést la vie.
Haven't seen the painters there yet and not a sign of the diamond shield guy.
We are wondering as to the status of Angela and the family's Mediterranean Cruise. They left here in Friday for Barcelona and will spend some time going from port to port. We hope to get some email and pictures as Rick was adamant about seeing Pompeii. Eventually they will drop Amanda off at the Sorbonne for a month of heavy duty French lessons. I know we won't get any email from her. It was really great knews to hear that she made the honor roll at the George school for her Sophomore year. We hope she's in a groove of some sort now.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
awning arrives but the wait goes on
I watched the Fed Ex truck arrive at 3pm on Friday. Three boxes came off. Yupp, all he had was my stuff from Girard awning. It was obviously too late to start with the installation but they did unpack the boxes this time around to make sure the contents are what was ordered for me. They did, after all, expect and were promised delivery by Friday a week ago. I can't blame Duncan for the delay but it sure is frustrating to have to sit here and wait and wait. Waiting is not in my nature.
I discussed the whole matter of the repainting for the awning. I should probably just post my letter to the newmar users on yahoo as they were instrumental in getting my headlights corrected:
I'm going stir crazy!
I came here in the middle of May to have some things in our coach changed and upgraded and I'm still here. Kaufman, Spartan, Duncan, Spartan and now Duncan again - all because some schedule or part was wrong or missing. The weekends are the worst as the world shuts down around here. On Sundays the roll up the sidewalks and hide. Yes, I'm frustrated.
I came up with this brilliant idea to remove our manual door awning to have a Girard installed instead. It was supposed to be a two day job. First it takes time to get such a thing and then it arrives damaged and in the wrong color. Today is Friday and I'm still not sure if the thing is here yet. It was scheduled for last Friday. I'm just not used to all this waiting around and I'm out of things to go and see and do.
Removing the awning involved closing up some holes where the old awning was mounted. That led to a discovery of small little cracks in my dark blue paint on the side. I'd never seen those before but there they were. Jim Deavers was quite familiar with those buggers. He does about a coach a month where the sides are removed and new ones installed. These cracks are about an 1/8 of an inch long and are scattered all over the place but are visible only on dark backgrounds. Jim tells me that this is a problem in the fiberglass on pre-2004 rigs. So, after they had sanded and primed the area of the holes, I asked to extend the area to paint over the funny cracks. They did that but not all the way down to the fiber. It all looked well until the paint was applied. The cracks are still there. After clear coating one can even feel them. I have this marvelous paint job which really only came with the London Aire back in 2000. It has at least 5 coats of clearcoat with wet sanding in between. A really classy job. Trying to match that is quite a job and the reason I have to hang in here till next week when the clearcoat is sufficiently hard to sand and buff. Besides the awning is not yet here.
The job also created a problem with the diamond shield being under the awning arms. We didn't realize that white is white when newly painted but white is not white when under a diamond shield film for a while. White is tough to cover as UV yellows the film no matter what they say. What I'm leading into here is that Jim will redo the film just to have the front look right and as a reward for telling him about the info I had from you guys about how to fix the headlight problem. Jim had the wiring tested and there was only a 3/4 drop. Just to humor me he followed directions and put in the relays and heavier wire. The difference was so phenomenal that he came running in here to tell me about it. As a reward for learning something valuable, I get the diamond shield for free. (Actually I think he takes too much pride inhis shop to let anything but a perfect job out of here.)I like it when people appreciate learning something new and admit to not yet know everything. I think that is a mark of a true professional.
But back to the topic of the small cracks. Have any of you seen these on your rigs? While I was at Spartan there was a 1999 London Aire next to me looking like it just came out of the paint shop. I asked the owner how he had kept the rig so immaculate all these years. 'Oh,Newmar repainted it last August', was his reply. 'There were some cracks in the paint', he said. I left it at that but now I have learned something new. I have cracks too and wonder if its the same kind. I was simply amazed that this fellow had gotten Newmar to repaint his rig after so many years. How did he do that? He said he simply showed them what was happening and they decided to redo the job. Jim tells me that the cracks will come back though if the underlying fiber isn't changed out.
Anyway, I just wanted to air some of my frustrations and I feel better already.
Fred
PS Now to think of something else to do.
from a Saturday email to the newmar group:
We went to Chicago today. Half way there it started to rain pretty hard but we continued on as the temperature kept dropping to around 60 degrees in Chicago. My knees don't like that. In a way the trip was a real bummer. Traffic was horrendous as we got near the city. At each toll booth there was a good 20 minute delay to pay 50 cents or whatever the fee was at each stop. I would have turned around but you can't get off the sky way even if you want to. We finally got into the city and the traffic there was just as bad - total gridlock. I don't know if its always this bad or if we just hit a bad time but I don't want any part of this mess. We couldn't park anywhere except to pay $2/.5hr. I stopped at 3motel/hotels in town and all where booked full. The fourth was a rundown Holiday Inn near the Lake Shore drive and the Sears tower. They had 5 rooms available at $310/day but would give me an AARP discount down to $298 or $289 whatever it was (plus $30 for overnight parking). Even the clerk behind the counter had a hard time keeping a straight face but it came right out of her computer and she explained that the rates are so high because everything is booked out because of a large convention at McCormic Place (American Dietary Assoc). It just didn't make any sense to stay in Chicago when you can't even park except at exorbitant rates. So we turned around and left. Traffic wasn't as bad leaving the place. So now we are at a nice Holiday Inn off I-80 and in the morning we'll look around and go to the Indiana Dunes State park to take a look. Maybe we'll hit Auburn, IN and the Duesenberg in the afternoon. My awning came in at Duncan at 3pm on Friday. A`bit late to install it which is why we are still waiting. Some clearcoat sanding will keep us in Elkhart till Tuesday and then back to FL next week.
Fred
We are sitting nicely here at the Holiday Inn:
Hilton Garden Inn Chesterton,
501 Gateway N., Chesterton, Indiana, USA 46304
Tel: +1-219-983-9500 Fax: +1-219-983-9600
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CHICTGI&WT.srch=1
We'll see where we wind up tomorrow.
I discussed the whole matter of the repainting for the awning. I should probably just post my letter to the newmar users on yahoo as they were instrumental in getting my headlights corrected:
I'm going stir crazy!
I came here in the middle of May to have some things in our coach changed and upgraded and I'm still here. Kaufman, Spartan, Duncan, Spartan and now Duncan again - all because some schedule or part was wrong or missing. The weekends are the worst as the world shuts down around here. On Sundays the roll up the sidewalks and hide. Yes, I'm frustrated.
I came up with this brilliant idea to remove our manual door awning to have a Girard installed instead. It was supposed to be a two day job. First it takes time to get such a thing and then it arrives damaged and in the wrong color. Today is Friday and I'm still not sure if the thing is here yet. It was scheduled for last Friday. I'm just not used to all this waiting around and I'm out of things to go and see and do.
Removing the awning involved closing up some holes where the old awning was mounted. That led to a discovery of small little cracks in my dark blue paint on the side. I'd never seen those before but there they were. Jim Deavers was quite familiar with those buggers. He does about a coach a month where the sides are removed and new ones installed. These cracks are about an 1/8 of an inch long and are scattered all over the place but are visible only on dark backgrounds. Jim tells me that this is a problem in the fiberglass on pre-2004 rigs. So, after they had sanded and primed the area of the holes, I asked to extend the area to paint over the funny cracks. They did that but not all the way down to the fiber. It all looked well until the paint was applied. The cracks are still there. After clear coating one can even feel them. I have this marvelous paint job which really only came with the London Aire back in 2000. It has at least 5 coats of clearcoat with wet sanding in between. A really classy job. Trying to match that is quite a job and the reason I have to hang in here till next week when the clearcoat is sufficiently hard to sand and buff. Besides the awning is not yet here.
The job also created a problem with the diamond shield being under the awning arms. We didn't realize that white is white when newly painted but white is not white when under a diamond shield film for a while. White is tough to cover as UV yellows the film no matter what they say. What I'm leading into here is that Jim will redo the film just to have the front look right and as a reward for telling him about the info I had from you guys about how to fix the headlight problem. Jim had the wiring tested and there was only a 3/4 drop. Just to humor me he followed directions and put in the relays and heavier wire. The difference was so phenomenal that he came running in here to tell me about it. As a reward for learning something valuable, I get the diamond shield for free. (Actually I think he takes too much pride inhis shop to let anything but a perfect job out of here.)I like it when people appreciate learning something new and admit to not yet know everything. I think that is a mark of a true professional.
But back to the topic of the small cracks. Have any of you seen these on your rigs? While I was at Spartan there was a 1999 London Aire next to me looking like it just came out of the paint shop. I asked the owner how he had kept the rig so immaculate all these years. 'Oh,Newmar repainted it last August', was his reply. 'There were some cracks in the paint', he said. I left it at that but now I have learned something new. I have cracks too and wonder if its the same kind. I was simply amazed that this fellow had gotten Newmar to repaint his rig after so many years. How did he do that? He said he simply showed them what was happening and they decided to redo the job. Jim tells me that the cracks will come back though if the underlying fiber isn't changed out.
Anyway, I just wanted to air some of my frustrations and I feel better already.
Fred
PS Now to think of something else to do.
from a Saturday email to the newmar group:
We went to Chicago today. Half way there it started to rain pretty hard but we continued on as the temperature kept dropping to around 60 degrees in Chicago. My knees don't like that. In a way the trip was a real bummer. Traffic was horrendous as we got near the city. At each toll booth there was a good 20 minute delay to pay 50 cents or whatever the fee was at each stop. I would have turned around but you can't get off the sky way even if you want to. We finally got into the city and the traffic there was just as bad - total gridlock. I don't know if its always this bad or if we just hit a bad time but I don't want any part of this mess. We couldn't park anywhere except to pay $2/.5hr. I stopped at 3motel/hotels in town and all where booked full. The fourth was a rundown Holiday Inn near the Lake Shore drive and the Sears tower. They had 5 rooms available at $310/day but would give me an AARP discount down to $298 or $289 whatever it was (plus $30 for overnight parking). Even the clerk behind the counter had a hard time keeping a straight face but it came right out of her computer and she explained that the rates are so high because everything is booked out because of a large convention at McCormic Place (American Dietary Assoc). It just didn't make any sense to stay in Chicago when you can't even park except at exorbitant rates. So we turned around and left. Traffic wasn't as bad leaving the place. So now we are at a nice Holiday Inn off I-80 and in the morning we'll look around and go to the Indiana Dunes State park to take a look. Maybe we'll hit Auburn, IN and the Duesenberg in the afternoon. My awning came in at Duncan at 3pm on Friday. A`bit late to install it which is why we are still waiting. Some clearcoat sanding will keep us in Elkhart till Tuesday and then back to FL next week.
Fred
We are sitting nicely here at the Holiday Inn:
Hilton Garden Inn Chesterton,
501 Gateway N., Chesterton, Indiana, USA 46304
Tel: +1-219-983-9500 Fax: +1-219-983-9600
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CHICTGI&WT.srch=1
We'll see where we wind up tomorrow.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The paint is drying
We left Duncan this morning to visit the RV Museum here in town. The place is still under construction but they charge admission anyway. We noticed that we caught a bad moment when someone actually was there to collect such fees. Others who came in after us just wandered in to look for something to see. Basically, there are a number of old trailers and some motorhomes on display in one hall and in another some vendor has a few of their new trailers in display. Upstairs was a library and a display of folks the RV Industry decided to honor for their contribution.
I took some pics which will be available on my phanfare pages but I spent most of my time perusing old RV magazines and catalogs in the library. I tried to find out where it was that we camped back in the mid 70s on the east side of Florida where the folks went to a ball in the clubhouse in tuxes and evening gowns. It left an indelible impression on us as camping to us was still tent or VW bus based. Here we saw big rigs and I can't help wondering what those big rigs were. Apparently it was all something we simply didn't know about and therefore very impressed but today those rigs look puny indeed. Where did they even keep their fancy duds?
For lunch we went to a place called Buffalo Wild Wings. Its a chain of some kind. Being that we had seen a number of places which served and sold Buffalo meat, it was natural for Marlies to misread the sign. I asked her if she wanted to share an order of wings with me and she said, 'no, I'd rather have a chicken sandwich'. I asked if she was sure and she told me that she wanted no part of buffalo meat which she assumed I was ordering. Wings, is buffalo meat? Well, if it says buffalo it must be. After a good laugh I cleared up the story of where chicken wings originated. Even the waitress didn't know that.
Back to Walmart for more shopping and then it was back to Duncan where we expected our coach to be almost done. It wasn't. The awning still hadn't arrived and the painting was taking longer then anticipated. They didn't bring the coach out till about 7pm. The painter then dropped the bad news on me. The clearcoat would have to dry at least 24 hours for him to wet sand it and bring up to the standard of the rest of the coach. That meant Saturday except for the fact that he has to go to Pittsburgh Friday afternoon to catch a graduation ceremony of his sister Saturday morning. Unless I can get someone else to do this on Saturday, this means another weekend of hanging around.
I'm also not very pleased with how they removed some of the protective film on the front end in order to paint where the old awning used to be. I know they had no choice but it doesn't look good to have brand new shiny paint right next to a faded film cover over a white painted background. I guess you have to see it to understand. The film yellows somewhat and this shows over white more then any other color.
We'll see what the morning will bring when I discuss this with Jim Deavers.
I took some pics which will be available on my phanfare pages but I spent most of my time perusing old RV magazines and catalogs in the library. I tried to find out where it was that we camped back in the mid 70s on the east side of Florida where the folks went to a ball in the clubhouse in tuxes and evening gowns. It left an indelible impression on us as camping to us was still tent or VW bus based. Here we saw big rigs and I can't help wondering what those big rigs were. Apparently it was all something we simply didn't know about and therefore very impressed but today those rigs look puny indeed. Where did they even keep their fancy duds?
For lunch we went to a place called Buffalo Wild Wings. Its a chain of some kind. Being that we had seen a number of places which served and sold Buffalo meat, it was natural for Marlies to misread the sign. I asked her if she wanted to share an order of wings with me and she said, 'no, I'd rather have a chicken sandwich'. I asked if she was sure and she told me that she wanted no part of buffalo meat which she assumed I was ordering. Wings, is buffalo meat? Well, if it says buffalo it must be. After a good laugh I cleared up the story of where chicken wings originated. Even the waitress didn't know that.
Back to Walmart for more shopping and then it was back to Duncan where we expected our coach to be almost done. It wasn't. The awning still hadn't arrived and the painting was taking longer then anticipated. They didn't bring the coach out till about 7pm. The painter then dropped the bad news on me. The clearcoat would have to dry at least 24 hours for him to wet sand it and bring up to the standard of the rest of the coach. That meant Saturday except for the fact that he has to go to Pittsburgh Friday afternoon to catch a graduation ceremony of his sister Saturday morning. Unless I can get someone else to do this on Saturday, this means another weekend of hanging around.
I'm also not very pleased with how they removed some of the protective film on the front end in order to paint where the old awning used to be. I know they had no choice but it doesn't look good to have brand new shiny paint right next to a faded film cover over a white painted background. I guess you have to see it to understand. The film yellows somewhat and this shows over white more then any other color.
We'll see what the morning will bring when I discuss this with Jim Deavers.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Duncan and waiting some more
Yesterday Mike fixed the generator/fuse/wiring problem and a few other little things. I'll get to see exactly what went on when I get the bill. The old awning was removed and the holes temporarily puttied shut.
Today is painting day. We'll see what comes out in about an hour.
Marlies and I went out for lunch as usual. I watch "Curb your Enthusiasm" on HBO quite often and the latest episode had David order Cob Salad. A whole story was woven around this meal. So here we were at Bob Evans and there was Cob Salad. I had never seen this before and I ordered it. Great and delicious.
I had purchased 8 cartons of wood flooring for the coach and had two left over. I wanted to keep one and return the other but I had given the receipt to Irv Kaufman so he could collect about $80 in rebates to spend at Menards. So, without a receipt, I went to look for a Menards here in Elkhart. Found one and asked about returning the wood without a receipt. They pointed to a machine where one slides his credit card in to get a receipt of prior purchases right then and there printed out. Marvelous. They credited me with about $90 and we went looking around Menards. I was in 7th heaven. This store is absolutely wonderful for anybody who buys things like I do on a regular basis from Lowes or Home Depot. It should be a model for both stores to follow. We found things we could use and promptly spent the $90 back again. I don't know how to describe the store except in superlatives. They have everything in many versions and everything is neatly organized and touchable. Basically, I've never seen a store with so much stock and variety. In every isle someone would offer to help and at the checkout the clerks call you over to an empty register. I was so impressed that I bought a Menards hat for 10 bucks. I can only dream about having one in Naples.
Marlies then asked for a quick stop at Kmart to come back to reality. Then it was back to waiting - in the waiting room - at Duncan's - again. Tomorrow the correct awning is supposed to arrive. We'll see.
Last night I fiddled with this computer and learned a bit more about Vista. I ripped several CDs down and played with the multi-media software. At some point I'd like to have all my music cataloged in a library. So far so good. I deleted McAfee and installed Norton as I already had a Norton license. Explorer hung up a few times. Don't know the cause of that yet.
10pm - just came back from an aweful movie. When you walk in to movie vestibule, there is no information available about the content of the various shows playing. It just so happened that the closest movie was Hostel-2. We had no idea this was a snuff movie and had only three other people in there with us. I don't know why but we stayed until the very end just to see what would happen to the heroin. She survived and took her revenge.
This evening Jim Deaver and I discussed some tiny little cracks appearing in the blue part of the side of the coach near the door. I wanted him to buff these out and paint the area over. He told me that these are defects in the fiberglass used by Newmar back then and that there is really nothing that can be done about them as they will always reappear after a while. They are especially visible in dark backgrounds under certain light conditions. This is a bummer. He will not paint coaches older then 2004 in a dark color for this reason. I mean this is not visible unless one does a very close inspection but it bothers me that there is a defect in the coach's skin. This only appears on the two side panels. Jim says he replaces such panels about once a month for customers of all brands. This s not just a Newmar problem.
Otherwise we should be leaving here by Friday at the latest. So, we'll be heading back to Florida over the weekend but not in the same rush we used to get here, ie two days. We may take three or four. :-)
Today is painting day. We'll see what comes out in about an hour.
Marlies and I went out for lunch as usual. I watch "Curb your Enthusiasm" on HBO quite often and the latest episode had David order Cob Salad. A whole story was woven around this meal. So here we were at Bob Evans and there was Cob Salad. I had never seen this before and I ordered it. Great and delicious.
I had purchased 8 cartons of wood flooring for the coach and had two left over. I wanted to keep one and return the other but I had given the receipt to Irv Kaufman so he could collect about $80 in rebates to spend at Menards. So, without a receipt, I went to look for a Menards here in Elkhart. Found one and asked about returning the wood without a receipt. They pointed to a machine where one slides his credit card in to get a receipt of prior purchases right then and there printed out. Marvelous. They credited me with about $90 and we went looking around Menards. I was in 7th heaven. This store is absolutely wonderful for anybody who buys things like I do on a regular basis from Lowes or Home Depot. It should be a model for both stores to follow. We found things we could use and promptly spent the $90 back again. I don't know how to describe the store except in superlatives. They have everything in many versions and everything is neatly organized and touchable. Basically, I've never seen a store with so much stock and variety. In every isle someone would offer to help and at the checkout the clerks call you over to an empty register. I was so impressed that I bought a Menards hat for 10 bucks. I can only dream about having one in Naples.
Marlies then asked for a quick stop at Kmart to come back to reality. Then it was back to waiting - in the waiting room - at Duncan's - again. Tomorrow the correct awning is supposed to arrive. We'll see.
Last night I fiddled with this computer and learned a bit more about Vista. I ripped several CDs down and played with the multi-media software. At some point I'd like to have all my music cataloged in a library. So far so good. I deleted McAfee and installed Norton as I already had a Norton license. Explorer hung up a few times. Don't know the cause of that yet.
10pm - just came back from an aweful movie. When you walk in to movie vestibule, there is no information available about the content of the various shows playing. It just so happened that the closest movie was Hostel-2. We had no idea this was a snuff movie and had only three other people in there with us. I don't know why but we stayed until the very end just to see what would happen to the heroin. She survived and took her revenge.
This evening Jim Deaver and I discussed some tiny little cracks appearing in the blue part of the side of the coach near the door. I wanted him to buff these out and paint the area over. He told me that these are defects in the fiberglass used by Newmar back then and that there is really nothing that can be done about them as they will always reappear after a while. They are especially visible in dark backgrounds under certain light conditions. This is a bummer. He will not paint coaches older then 2004 in a dark color for this reason. I mean this is not visible unless one does a very close inspection but it bothers me that there is a defect in the coach's skin. This only appears on the two side panels. Jim says he replaces such panels about once a month for customers of all brands. This s not just a Newmar problem.
Otherwise we should be leaving here by Friday at the latest. So, we'll be heading back to Florida over the weekend but not in the same rush we used to get here, ie two days. We may take three or four. :-)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
back at Duncan and waiting
Mike showed up at 8 am in the morning and I went over the following list. He then went awy with our coach:
Rump - second Duncan visit - 6-19-07
Items left from last visit and new things
A - Things which worked before first visit but did not as I left
1) Lower dash module
a) charging light
b) both cigarette lighters - used power for GPS to come here
c) security switch - this is not known as I don't use it
d) step cover - not sure if it worked before but Spartan says that the hydraulic valve needs to be replaced as it is leaking air.
2) Water comes through roof at fan in bathroom
3) passenger seat now stays in swivel mode and can not be locked in place.
B - Things left from first visit
1) Bathroom mirrors - Mike said that new mirrors are smaller. If there is damage or discoloration underneath perhaps a piece can be cut from old mirror.
2) Door awning - major item requiring front side paint job. Jim saysthat it will match existing coach paint perfectly. Have 5 coatsof clearcoat now. Can intercom plate be painted? Will awning have a bulletfront cap? Will painter touch up maroon knick on side? (Paint is in can up front.)
C - New items
1) Clearance lights in front - Spartan says these need to be checkedfor replacement. Don't know how many.
2) Can front headlights be improved and aimed? Cleaning? Halogens?
3) I have ceiling lights but can't get to fit them into socket. Is it me?
4) Is Blue Ox tow bar too lose? Can center nut be tightened?
5) Does anybody know how to get cable channels up and running? Is there a cable connection here? Local antenna is still very weak,satellite is fine.
6) fuse for generator rollout needs to be found and replaced
Rump - second Duncan visit - 6-19-07
Items left from last visit and new things
A - Things which worked before first visit but did not as I left
1) Lower dash module
a) charging light
b) both cigarette lighters - used power for GPS to come here
c) security switch - this is not known as I don't use it
d) step cover - not sure if it worked before but Spartan says that the hydraulic valve needs to be replaced as it is leaking air.
2) Water comes through roof at fan in bathroom
3) passenger seat now stays in swivel mode and can not be locked in place.
B - Things left from first visit
1) Bathroom mirrors - Mike said that new mirrors are smaller. If there is damage or discoloration underneath perhaps a piece can be cut from old mirror.
2) Door awning - major item requiring front side paint job. Jim saysthat it will match existing coach paint perfectly. Have 5 coatsof clearcoat now. Can intercom plate be painted? Will awning have a bulletfront cap? Will painter touch up maroon knick on side? (Paint is in can up front.)
C - New items
1) Clearance lights in front - Spartan says these need to be checkedfor replacement. Don't know how many.
2) Can front headlights be improved and aimed? Cleaning? Halogens?
3) I have ceiling lights but can't get to fit them into socket. Is it me?
4) Is Blue Ox tow bar too lose? Can center nut be tightened?
5) Does anybody know how to get cable channels up and running? Is there a cable connection here? Local antenna is still very weak,satellite is fine.
6) fuse for generator rollout needs to be found and replaced
Such was the list. During the course of the day I find out that the awning is damaged and black instead of white. They are returning it and are waiting for replacement - this means another delay. Then the bathroom mirrors never arrived. Who knows where that stands.
Discussion about clearance lights. I had paid Spartan $40 to replace one bulb (1/2 hour at $80/hr) with the cost of the bulb being minimal but they also told me to get new covers for the cracked lights. Duncan asks if I want LEDs up there? What are LEDs? Jim Deaverrs shows me these things and tells me that they last 10 times as long as bulbs and are less prone to outside failure from moisture while also being a lot brighter. I say go for it and put LEDs wherever they can be used.
The front headlights will also be improved by polishing and installation of halogen lights. Other then that I know nothing at 4:30PM
Monday, June 18, 2007
back in Elkhart at Duncan Systems
We left Oak Grove CG around 9:30 am. Our two neighbors moved their cars out of the way and we were able to get out quite easily. I got our little Garmin working on a different cigarette lighter next to my seat. We are so used to it that we hate to go anywhere without it. Got to Elkhart and Duncan around lunch time and hit the Happy Cooker for BLTs. Then went to Nappanee to check out the 2008 coaches of which they had nothing above a Dutch Star. Picked up a brochure on the King Star though. I tried to get to drive a coach with the new Comfort Drive but there was no one around that I could talk to or make an appointment. So we went grocery shopping instead and then back to Duncan. Not an eventful day. In the morning they should start working on the coach to install the new awning.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Holland, MI Windmill Island and downtown again
It's Father's Day. Bernie called to wake me up and Angie called at a more decent hour. Around 11AM we left for Windmill Island which is a place trying to show some authenticity about Holland, the country. It has several reproductions of Dutch buildings and a windmill brought over from Holland in 1964. It was the last one they let go as it created quite a stir as it left for America. The parliament then passed a law not permit any more Dutch windmills to be sold and exported.
We continued our tour of Holland and shot some city scenes after we had lunch at the 8th St Grille. See Holland pics in June on phanfare.
We continued our tour of Holland and shot some city scenes after we had lunch at the 8th St Grille. See Holland pics in June on phanfare.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Oak Grove Campground, Holland MI
Now hear this!We are locked in at the campground and couldn't leave if we wanted. There are trailers all around us. This view is to the left front where we are to make a left turn.
Marlies is busy with her knitting while I'm fooling around with the computer.
This was a first test picture on my repaired camera. See below for an explanation.
Today is Saturday. Yesterday was not a good day. Marlies had a terrible headache and wound up taking 8 sinus pills. We did not leave the coach until early in the afternoon.
Took a trip to the Dutch attractions around here and then wound up in downtown Holland. It was a very big surpise. It seems like every small town we visit has a decaying downtown where the main businesses are antique shops and wannabee restaurants. Here it was different. Downtown was impressive and reminded one of Naples or other high end tourist towns. I could not take any pictures of the downtown area as my Nikon fell out of the car as I opened one of the rear doors. More on this below.
So we go to where the tulips are in April & May. Right now all of that is shut down and all one can see are empty fields and of course the stores for the tourists.
We do our obligatory shopping and wind up with a wooden shoe for Oma & Opa, our normal purchase of a cup noting the place and some baked goods which reminded us of Oldenburg. It's really much the same there. The folks were surpised that Oma and Opa were also German.
The baked goods had different names but Honigkuchen & Spekulatius tastes the same regardless of name.
My phanfare website has more pictures of this place. Now we head for the flower shop.
Marlies picks out a couple of colorful Amaryllis for 3 bucks and I buy on a two for one price of $4.99
(1) a Bigleaf Ligularia or Leopard Plant or Golden Groundsel or Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona' (all names work) but to be officially correct:
Family: Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ay)
Genus: Ligularia (lig-yoo-LAR-ee-uh)
Species: dentata (den-TAY-tuh)
Cultivar: Desdemona
and
(2) a Rodgersia pinnata 'Chocolate Wing'
Family: Saxifragaceae (saks-ih-frag-AY-see-ay)
Genus: Rodgersia (rod-JER-see-uh)
Species: pinnata
Cultivar: Chocolate Wings
Both are purple or maroon and like moist soil in heavy shade. Something for my shade garden.
Now back to Holland. I dropped the camera and busted the UV filter screwed into the lense pretty badly. I looked around for a camera store but couldn't find anything downtown. Aftre our stop at the Alpenrose Konditorei for Torte I was told to go to Lakewood Photo & Video and given directions. I noted them but figured I'll first give my GPS a chance to take me there. Keyed in Lakewood camera and came up with three such places. I go to the nearest and it had disappeared. I go to the next nearest 20 miles away in Jetison, MI and it too was gone. This had happened to me before. In Elkhart I was looking for a Sherwin-Williams store to get maroon paint for the nick in my coach. Two stores also had gone away before I found one right next to the motel were we had stayed for a week.
Anyway, it was late and I gave up my search. On the way back - there was Lakewood Photo & Video, right on Lakewood Blvd where it belonged. The two girls there treid to help me but really didn't know anything and had me come back the next day to see Tom, the owner. So I was back there today and he removed the bent filter and sold me a new one for $24. All is well and my pictures are OK. There is no damage to the camera.
This is my first blog with pictures. Just wanted to try it out with different size pics.
This is the smallest picture size. Above are large and medium. This shot shows the Oak Grove park before the crowds came for the weekend. The street is not exactly conducive to make turns on. The trailers manage as they can do a greater then 45 degree turn with their trucks.
We'll wait until they have all left on Sunday to go back to work and then maneuver out of here.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Holland, MI
Left Charlotte, MI fairly early this morning. I had chosen the Oak Grove Resort Campground in Holland, MI as our destination. It was thusly described:
"Rated one of the Best Parks in Michigan". WOODALL'S RATED 5/4 AND TRAILER LIFE RATED 9/9/8.5 A Family Resort located within walking distance of Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan Beaches. Enjoy fishing, boating, shopping malls, golfing and miles of paved bike trails.
http://www.michcampgrounds.com/oakgrove/
The rates were $45/night and I figured this to be a really, really nice place. Our Garmin was not used as the cigarette lighters which bring juice to the unit were not functional all of a sudden. Must have been the floor guy who did something to the dash. So I tried the RVs GPS. It could not find the place as per the address. So I gave it a nearby highway US33 and off we went. I took the long way on major interstate 69 to get there. Once we got into the vicinity of Holland we roamed around for about $50 in diesel before we finally found the place. The directions were simply aweful - among the worst I've ever had to follow. I called their number twice to get back to were we were supposed to be. The directions were simply wrong and also misprinted. Also, they tell you to go west or east on some road when you have no idea which way that is. So we finally get there. The place is a hole in the wall. I drive the car in to see where I might fit. Didn't seem like anywhere. I go back into the office intent on getting my $180 back. They claim that 45 foot coaches come in here all the time. Yeah, sure but not where they told me to go. I find a path and place where I might fit and park the car there. I walk back to the coach and get Marlies to key in the code for the gate as I couldn't reach down that far. She walks ahead of me and we maneuver into lot 115 but not before I knock over the post for the lot opposite of me. The streets are like 6 foot paths. If anybody parks across from me I'll never get out.
Anyway, we were both reaking and badly in need of a shower so we stayed and took our showers. Finally we have sewer and water connections again. The coach was also smelling badly and we needed to dump our tanks. Great to have all that in ship shape again.
I try to set up the satellite but it can't find a signal for all the trees. I connect the cable but can't get the TV to recognize it. I do have FOX News on a local channel somewhat hazy but at least it's something to get their version of the news over the next four days.
I have no idea what is wrong with the TV and the cable. This used to work fine on the old TV with my Pronto. The Pronto is dead as it needs a new battery - I think. WI-FI works fine which is a saving grace. So I look for a new battery but find that my TSU2000 is somewhat dated and I have to call Philips support to find a source for batteries. I ordered two at $25 each plus shipping and have them going to Duncan System second day air from IL. Doubt if there is an airline on the way but at least I'll have it when I get there next week.
I will drag Marlies out of here and have dinner someplace now.
"Rated one of the Best Parks in Michigan". WOODALL'S RATED 5/4 AND TRAILER LIFE RATED 9/9/8.5 A Family Resort located within walking distance of Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan Beaches. Enjoy fishing, boating, shopping malls, golfing and miles of paved bike trails.
http://www.michcampgrounds.com/oakgrove/
The rates were $45/night and I figured this to be a really, really nice place. Our Garmin was not used as the cigarette lighters which bring juice to the unit were not functional all of a sudden. Must have been the floor guy who did something to the dash. So I tried the RVs GPS. It could not find the place as per the address. So I gave it a nearby highway US33 and off we went. I took the long way on major interstate 69 to get there. Once we got into the vicinity of Holland we roamed around for about $50 in diesel before we finally found the place. The directions were simply aweful - among the worst I've ever had to follow. I called their number twice to get back to were we were supposed to be. The directions were simply wrong and also misprinted. Also, they tell you to go west or east on some road when you have no idea which way that is. So we finally get there. The place is a hole in the wall. I drive the car in to see where I might fit. Didn't seem like anywhere. I go back into the office intent on getting my $180 back. They claim that 45 foot coaches come in here all the time. Yeah, sure but not where they told me to go. I find a path and place where I might fit and park the car there. I walk back to the coach and get Marlies to key in the code for the gate as I couldn't reach down that far. She walks ahead of me and we maneuver into lot 115 but not before I knock over the post for the lot opposite of me. The streets are like 6 foot paths. If anybody parks across from me I'll never get out.
Anyway, we were both reaking and badly in need of a shower so we stayed and took our showers. Finally we have sewer and water connections again. The coach was also smelling badly and we needed to dump our tanks. Great to have all that in ship shape again.
I try to set up the satellite but it can't find a signal for all the trees. I connect the cable but can't get the TV to recognize it. I do have FOX News on a local channel somewhat hazy but at least it's something to get their version of the news over the next four days.
I have no idea what is wrong with the TV and the cable. This used to work fine on the old TV with my Pronto. The Pronto is dead as it needs a new battery - I think. WI-FI works fine which is a saving grace. So I look for a new battery but find that my TSU2000 is somewhat dated and I have to call Philips support to find a source for batteries. I ordered two at $25 each plus shipping and have them going to Duncan System second day air from IL. Doubt if there is an airline on the way but at least I'll have it when I get there next week.
I will drag Marlies out of here and have dinner someplace now.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
June 13, 2007
OK, this is my first direct post to this blog. The other two were repeats of emails I had sent to the FL Pelicans and our children.
Hopefully I can see it worthwhile to continue to post here as we travel. It really should be a sort of diary which stores things one so quickly forgets.
We drove to Spartan yesterday and parked in our favorite spot #13. The sewer tank is in desparate need of emptying as the toilet reaks. We check out the only local dump site at the county fair grounds and decide we can wait another day until we get to a normal campground.
The coach was picked up this morning and I explained the rear air gauge not moving and the front coming up in too long a time. Other then one light that is really all that can be done here.
While I'm in the waiting room I started this blog. Can't just sit here and do nothing.
Chris McCord just walked in and asked me where my fuse is for the generator slideout. I'm supposed to know? Apparently it worked when we were here last as they changed the oil and filters on the thing. Did Duncan do something? I noticed the cigarette lighters also did not work after leaving Duncan. Is there a connection?
4:04pm
Chris just tried to explain how the air tanks, air bags and gauges behave. He says all is well and things are behaving correctly. The problem now is that they can't get the generator back in the coach as they still haven't found the fuse that controls the slideout. Newmar is supposed to be helping locate it. It was hotwired to move out but apparently can't be hotwired to move back in. :-)
We'll spend the night here at Spartan and head to Holland, MI in the morning.
Hopefully I can see it worthwhile to continue to post here as we travel. It really should be a sort of diary which stores things one so quickly forgets.
We drove to Spartan yesterday and parked in our favorite spot #13. The sewer tank is in desparate need of emptying as the toilet reaks. We check out the only local dump site at the county fair grounds and decide we can wait another day until we get to a normal campground.
The coach was picked up this morning and I explained the rear air gauge not moving and the front coming up in too long a time. Other then one light that is really all that can be done here.
While I'm in the waiting room I started this blog. Can't just sit here and do nothing.
Chris McCord just walked in and asked me where my fuse is for the generator slideout. I'm supposed to know? Apparently it worked when we were here last as they changed the oil and filters on the thing. Did Duncan do something? I noticed the cigarette lighters also did not work after leaving Duncan. Is there a connection?
4:04pm
Chris just tried to explain how the air tanks, air bags and gauges behave. He says all is well and things are behaving correctly. The problem now is that they can't get the generator back in the coach as they still haven't found the fuse that controls the slideout. Newmar is supposed to be helping locate it. It was hotwired to move out but apparently can't be hotwired to move back in. :-)
We'll spend the night here at Spartan and head to Holland, MI in the morning.
Pelican Brief #2
I said I would continue, didn't I?
Today is Monday 6/11/07 and we arestill at Duncans.
A few things weren't done by the Friday deadline so we decided to stay over the weekend to get them done today. I also added a complete stripping of the roof sealant which covers the overlap of the roof to the sides. They are currently doing that and will then redo the roof sealant to be like new. I'm also having them install two antennas which have gone by the wayside (literally) as the coach is very high and the antennas constantly hit the underpasses of the north. Sooner or later they were gone. I'm not replacing the cellphone antenna as we never used it anyway but there are two FM antennas which I may use sometime. One is for the dash FM and the other for the main receiver in the coach. We have also decided to replace our front door awning with an automatic one by Girard. The one we have has always leaked and is a bear to open and close. It's really a two person job. We'll have to come back here later to have that done as the awning is not scheduled to arrive until Friday. This job involves repainting the area where the awning arms were and takes a little time. We hope to be out of here by the 19th. In the meantime we're back to Spartan to have the front bags checked as they come up too slow. Maybe there is a leak somewhere. So far we are very pleased with Duncan's work. Marlies was all smiles when she saw the floor and I love the new window in the bathroom. Makes a big difference. We're still getting new mirrors by the sink as the old had lost some of their silver from moisture. We should probably put a line of silicone at the bottom. In any case the new mirrors aren't here yet either. Otherwise we've been roaming all over northern Indiana or what they call Michiana. Judy Miller organized a dinner at a local farm house for 16 of us to celebrate Art and Gerri Brodeur's 35th anniversary. Let's just say the outing was different. Marlies and I had just come from lunch at the Studebaker mansion in South Bend (Tippecanoe) where there are many elegant rooms available for dining and the contrast was striking.
We also visited the Studebaker Museum which was almost worth this entire trip. I was in 7th heaven seeing so many cars from my youth. I tried hard to get my mom to push dad into buying a Golden Hawk. He bought a Plymouthy Valiant instead. I still adore those Hawks. The Temples and us tried to repeat that wonderful first dinner at Heinees but it didn't work. I ordered the same meal but it just wasn't the same. I guess Prime Rib doesn't come out the same way each time it's cooked. In any case the company was great and we had a good time. Yesterday (Sunday) we drove to Shipshewana as I figured "something" would be open there in shopping land. I was wrong. We found one pizza place and that was it other then gas stations. So we went back to our coach to deposit some items we bought later at a local market and then went to see Oceans 13. I was not impressed. I'm currently loading some pictures of our travels but the connection is extremely slow. Sooner or later you can see where we roam at myphanfare site. Check out June at http://www.fredrump.phanfare.com/album/309862#imageID=18823940
Today is Monday 6/11/07 and we arestill at Duncans.
A few things weren't done by the Friday deadline so we decided to stay over the weekend to get them done today. I also added a complete stripping of the roof sealant which covers the overlap of the roof to the sides. They are currently doing that and will then redo the roof sealant to be like new. I'm also having them install two antennas which have gone by the wayside (literally) as the coach is very high and the antennas constantly hit the underpasses of the north. Sooner or later they were gone. I'm not replacing the cellphone antenna as we never used it anyway but there are two FM antennas which I may use sometime. One is for the dash FM and the other for the main receiver in the coach. We have also decided to replace our front door awning with an automatic one by Girard. The one we have has always leaked and is a bear to open and close. It's really a two person job. We'll have to come back here later to have that done as the awning is not scheduled to arrive until Friday. This job involves repainting the area where the awning arms were and takes a little time. We hope to be out of here by the 19th. In the meantime we're back to Spartan to have the front bags checked as they come up too slow. Maybe there is a leak somewhere. So far we are very pleased with Duncan's work. Marlies was all smiles when she saw the floor and I love the new window in the bathroom. Makes a big difference. We're still getting new mirrors by the sink as the old had lost some of their silver from moisture. We should probably put a line of silicone at the bottom. In any case the new mirrors aren't here yet either. Otherwise we've been roaming all over northern Indiana or what they call Michiana. Judy Miller organized a dinner at a local farm house for 16 of us to celebrate Art and Gerri Brodeur's 35th anniversary. Let's just say the outing was different. Marlies and I had just come from lunch at the Studebaker mansion in South Bend (Tippecanoe) where there are many elegant rooms available for dining and the contrast was striking.
We also visited the Studebaker Museum which was almost worth this entire trip. I was in 7th heaven seeing so many cars from my youth. I tried hard to get my mom to push dad into buying a Golden Hawk. He bought a Plymouthy Valiant instead. I still adore those Hawks. The Temples and us tried to repeat that wonderful first dinner at Heinees but it didn't work. I ordered the same meal but it just wasn't the same. I guess Prime Rib doesn't come out the same way each time it's cooked. In any case the company was great and we had a good time. Yesterday (Sunday) we drove to Shipshewana as I figured "something" would be open there in shopping land. I was wrong. We found one pizza place and that was it other then gas stations. So we went back to our coach to deposit some items we bought later at a local market and then went to see Oceans 13. I was not impressed. I'm currently loading some pictures of our travels but the connection is extremely slow. Sooner or later you can see where we roam at myphanfare site. Check out June at http://www.fredrump.phanfare.com/album/309862#imageID=18823940
Coach Restauration in Indiana and Michigan #1
Pelican Brief #1
We are on the road in our 'turn-of-the-century' coach peddling between Indiana and Michigan.
It is here where the corn is greener than green, the roads all lead to success and the boys and girls are all above average - just like in Lake Wobegonland.
After our sojourn at Kaufman's I did absolutely nothing significant over the Memorial Day weekend, except to play with this new computer. I say play because whatever I do, it is always play according to my dear wife (DW). Otherwise doing nothing in theRump Household is significant to itself.
Tuesday morning we headed for Sparta (actually Charlotte, MI,) where all the Spartans live. We drive through Climax, MI, somewhere along Rt 69, and wind up at our goal almost two days early. It was fast trip along a bumpy road but we duly followed the GPS this time and the signals from the sky got us to our destination just fine. We are promised early admission for service but got a false alarm. Nothing doing until Thursdaymorning at 7AM when the coach is picked up as originally scheduled. It is returned at night way past the scheduled work hours. The assignment was to tear things apart and replace whatever was old, in need of repair or could be updated to current technology -a carte blanche any auto mechanic can only dream about. (I call this the Ron Childs method for short) So my scheduled normal two day event turned into 2 really long days where our coach was in the shop after everyone else had gone home. We are still not done and will return on that lucky day, the 13th of June. We chose to park in lot #13 just to stick it to fate one more time.
What did we accomplish? The tires were really in excellent shape but were replaced with 315/80s anyway. Alignment was almost right on the button. A crack around one of the ball joint retainers may eventually result in a problem so these were replaced in a five hour job by two guys. The shocks could use replacement and were. Rear wheel seals showed signs of possible leakage and the bearings were replaced with new seals. I'm assured that with new filters, oils, tweaking and tightening that we're as good as new or better. The cost? $8700.
Does Frugal Fred win again? Only time (over the next 5 to 7 years) will tell. Present plans do not include a new coach unless it's a small run-a-bout which can be parked near a nursing home. :-) We'll see what the future holds. What do we have left? Some minor things they discovered like my rear beeper and backup lights weren't working. Some bulbs in the dash need to be replaced and some other light somewhere else is also scheduled to be fixed. They're going to check out why my front air takes so much longer to come up then my rear. Rump coach anatomy and all that. I asked them to check why my jake brake doesn't release after it kicks in on a down hill in cruise control. Been that way since we got the coach but nobody could fix the problem. I have to shut off the cruise to get back to speed again. Cruise works fine with the jake off. Maybe the experts will find a few more things to "fix" if given more time.:-) As an aside, I think Spartan corporate considers the service area more of a good will gesture then a profit center for users of the Spartan chassis. They charge the customer $80/hr when their actual costs are $87. While their parts are marked up significantly, they offer a 25% discount when one is there during or just before the Spartan Homecoming Rally. I figure anything they can do will always beat the prices of a North Trail who charged me 3 grand just for installing a hydraulic steering pump. Normal labor time was about 1.5 hours. It brings the expense of an open ended Spartan trip into perspective.
Sat, June 2
Today we are in Elkhart at the local Elkhart CG where the wi-fi really only works if one is parked in the middle of the campground. We're not. The Hartmans came by to visit this afternoon and all the Pelicans who are here will get together any day soon now. The Temples and us will be at Duncan Systems while the Brodeurs and the Hartmans get to stay at Camp Newmar.
As an aside I'm writing these notes as much for myself as for sharing with others via the blog and email. And Vic, one of these days, I too will make that giant step across the continent to head for Alaska. We have to free ourselves of our New Jersey home first though. Having two homes is not conducive to flying free as a bird - a pelican bird. It's bad enough having this mobile home to take care of.
Sunday, June 3
Sunday we arrived here at Camp Duncan and waited patiently for the Temples to arrive. Lots of rain all day and night. They call and announce their imminent arrival from Louisville. We have a quick dinner at Perkins. These little private dinners always work well in the direction of getting to know who is really sitting across from you so much better.
Monday morning we wait for a staff meeting to be over and are finally greeted by a technician around 9 am. We have no idea what the procedures are as far cleaning out the place for the impending work. Marlies packs everything just to be safe. The bed is piled high with kitchen contents. We move out to a motel, the Fairview Inn, where the corporate rate negotiated by Duncan is also the regular special rate being advertised out front. $49 per night and if you wish to sleep with someone, it's 5 dollars extra. Regardless, you get only one chair. At least they have good wi-fi reception. The coach is being gutted and under the carpet the floor behind the passenger seat is moist from all the rain. So there really is a leak somewhere and I'm not to blame for messing up the carpet under the desk I used to have. We make our various connections with Pelicans and other Floridian species at Camp Newmar and arrange for a Welcome-to-Indiana party for 14 at Heinees in Elkhart. Angela at Duncan recommended the place. While Heinees sounds suspiciously like a whole lot of rumps, we bravely venture forth. We like the decor of the place. We sit in a stall of sorts and most of us order the special of the day: Prime rib. It was sublime! The event turned into one of those memorable dinners we will not soon forget. Judy & Joe Miller, Terry Lyons and wife along with two other FL couples joined the Temples, Rumps, Brodeurs and Hartmans)
Tue, June 5
I'm trying to think up anything else Duncan can do while we are here and have ordered one of those lighted Newmar handles to make it easier for Marlies to get into the coach. They didn't want to put those things on coaches back then as they would get too wide as to inches. Now my intercom, door bell and the Coachlight logo are in the way. So? Remove the Coachlight thing. It is attached with two little pins or rivets. One will be covered by the handle and the other needs to be puttied and touched up. It's an 1/8 of an inch hole. I also have a paint nick from a small rock on the side of the coach. They gave me the estimate to repair the two tiny spots: $660. $360 in paint plus $50 shop fee(?) and the rest labor. Now wait a minute! Obviously this is not Spartan. These folks suck blood. I'm flabbergasted and feel they think there's money on them there London trees. I get to see the painter fellow who cfreated the estimate and explain that I didn't want to entire coach painted to match the holes. I wanted to go the other way around. Ah soo, said the blind man. Can do that. We'll see how that turns out. In the meantime we also get an estimate to fix the seam between the sofa sections which bother Marlies. I can't even see the problem. Our color leather can not be found at Newmar and if we buy new stuff somewhere, they will redo the entire sofa for only $1772 in labor costs. Yes mam, right away mam. Even my fussy little deary can now see that the problem is not as big as she thought it was. I guess I opened the spicket a bit too wide here at Duncan. Perhaps they live and die on Newmar warranty work and the margins may be a bit too skimpy. Then there is that other business ... and along came frugal Fred. :-)
We met a nice German couple (Uwe & Karin Schnitzler from Cologne) and went with the Temples and them to the Texas Round House for dinner. Another great place to eat if you like loud music and line dancing servers. My ribs were wet and messy but tasty enough.
Our old floor is all removed and ready for new flooring. New rollers are being installed for the slides (don't know why) and these were giving Mike, our tech, fits to install. We'll see if day three will bring him more success. They marked the new window location on the wall and then asked me if the location was OK. Well, no but isn't it a little late to ask after you crayon up the wall? Fun and games.
Did some other house cleaning today. Got the Envoy lubed and oiled and were told our center brake light was out. Who knows how long? Find a GMC dealer to fix it and are told an hour later that these things are LEDS type lights and the whole unit needs to be ordered as it's not a stock item. One red light $160. We then look for new tires as the XUV must have around 50K miles on it with the towing. Strange, when you look for tire stores none appear otherwise they are all over the place. SAMs has a tire sale on Michellin. Since that is what we have and they wore well, I buy a set and get $60 off. I thought it was off each tire as they list at $188 retail. Oh well. We then go off in search of an alignment shop and make an appointment at Baileys for 8am Thursday morning. The LED should be in by then and the Envoy will be back in shape just like big blue mama.
We are on the road in our 'turn-of-the-century' coach peddling between Indiana and Michigan.
It is here where the corn is greener than green, the roads all lead to success and the boys and girls are all above average - just like in Lake Wobegonland.
After our sojourn at Kaufman's I did absolutely nothing significant over the Memorial Day weekend, except to play with this new computer. I say play because whatever I do, it is always play according to my dear wife (DW). Otherwise doing nothing in theRump Household is significant to itself.
Tuesday morning we headed for Sparta (actually Charlotte, MI,) where all the Spartans live. We drive through Climax, MI, somewhere along Rt 69, and wind up at our goal almost two days early. It was fast trip along a bumpy road but we duly followed the GPS this time and the signals from the sky got us to our destination just fine. We are promised early admission for service but got a false alarm. Nothing doing until Thursdaymorning at 7AM when the coach is picked up as originally scheduled. It is returned at night way past the scheduled work hours. The assignment was to tear things apart and replace whatever was old, in need of repair or could be updated to current technology -a carte blanche any auto mechanic can only dream about. (I call this the Ron Childs method for short) So my scheduled normal two day event turned into 2 really long days where our coach was in the shop after everyone else had gone home. We are still not done and will return on that lucky day, the 13th of June. We chose to park in lot #13 just to stick it to fate one more time.
What did we accomplish? The tires were really in excellent shape but were replaced with 315/80s anyway. Alignment was almost right on the button. A crack around one of the ball joint retainers may eventually result in a problem so these were replaced in a five hour job by two guys. The shocks could use replacement and were. Rear wheel seals showed signs of possible leakage and the bearings were replaced with new seals. I'm assured that with new filters, oils, tweaking and tightening that we're as good as new or better. The cost? $8700.
Does Frugal Fred win again? Only time (over the next 5 to 7 years) will tell. Present plans do not include a new coach unless it's a small run-a-bout which can be parked near a nursing home. :-) We'll see what the future holds. What do we have left? Some minor things they discovered like my rear beeper and backup lights weren't working. Some bulbs in the dash need to be replaced and some other light somewhere else is also scheduled to be fixed. They're going to check out why my front air takes so much longer to come up then my rear. Rump coach anatomy and all that. I asked them to check why my jake brake doesn't release after it kicks in on a down hill in cruise control. Been that way since we got the coach but nobody could fix the problem. I have to shut off the cruise to get back to speed again. Cruise works fine with the jake off. Maybe the experts will find a few more things to "fix" if given more time.:-) As an aside, I think Spartan corporate considers the service area more of a good will gesture then a profit center for users of the Spartan chassis. They charge the customer $80/hr when their actual costs are $87. While their parts are marked up significantly, they offer a 25% discount when one is there during or just before the Spartan Homecoming Rally. I figure anything they can do will always beat the prices of a North Trail who charged me 3 grand just for installing a hydraulic steering pump. Normal labor time was about 1.5 hours. It brings the expense of an open ended Spartan trip into perspective.
Sat, June 2
Today we are in Elkhart at the local Elkhart CG where the wi-fi really only works if one is parked in the middle of the campground. We're not. The Hartmans came by to visit this afternoon and all the Pelicans who are here will get together any day soon now. The Temples and us will be at Duncan Systems while the Brodeurs and the Hartmans get to stay at Camp Newmar.
As an aside I'm writing these notes as much for myself as for sharing with others via the blog and email. And Vic, one of these days, I too will make that giant step across the continent to head for Alaska. We have to free ourselves of our New Jersey home first though. Having two homes is not conducive to flying free as a bird - a pelican bird. It's bad enough having this mobile home to take care of.
Sunday, June 3
Sunday we arrived here at Camp Duncan and waited patiently for the Temples to arrive. Lots of rain all day and night. They call and announce their imminent arrival from Louisville. We have a quick dinner at Perkins. These little private dinners always work well in the direction of getting to know who is really sitting across from you so much better.
Monday morning we wait for a staff meeting to be over and are finally greeted by a technician around 9 am. We have no idea what the procedures are as far cleaning out the place for the impending work. Marlies packs everything just to be safe. The bed is piled high with kitchen contents. We move out to a motel, the Fairview Inn, where the corporate rate negotiated by Duncan is also the regular special rate being advertised out front. $49 per night and if you wish to sleep with someone, it's 5 dollars extra. Regardless, you get only one chair. At least they have good wi-fi reception. The coach is being gutted and under the carpet the floor behind the passenger seat is moist from all the rain. So there really is a leak somewhere and I'm not to blame for messing up the carpet under the desk I used to have. We make our various connections with Pelicans and other Floridian species at Camp Newmar and arrange for a Welcome-to-Indiana party for 14 at Heinees in Elkhart. Angela at Duncan recommended the place. While Heinees sounds suspiciously like a whole lot of rumps, we bravely venture forth. We like the decor of the place. We sit in a stall of sorts and most of us order the special of the day: Prime rib. It was sublime! The event turned into one of those memorable dinners we will not soon forget. Judy & Joe Miller, Terry Lyons and wife along with two other FL couples joined the Temples, Rumps, Brodeurs and Hartmans)
Tue, June 5
I'm trying to think up anything else Duncan can do while we are here and have ordered one of those lighted Newmar handles to make it easier for Marlies to get into the coach. They didn't want to put those things on coaches back then as they would get too wide as to inches. Now my intercom, door bell and the Coachlight logo are in the way. So? Remove the Coachlight thing. It is attached with two little pins or rivets. One will be covered by the handle and the other needs to be puttied and touched up. It's an 1/8 of an inch hole. I also have a paint nick from a small rock on the side of the coach. They gave me the estimate to repair the two tiny spots: $660. $360 in paint plus $50 shop fee(?) and the rest labor. Now wait a minute! Obviously this is not Spartan. These folks suck blood. I'm flabbergasted and feel they think there's money on them there London trees. I get to see the painter fellow who cfreated the estimate and explain that I didn't want to entire coach painted to match the holes. I wanted to go the other way around. Ah soo, said the blind man. Can do that. We'll see how that turns out. In the meantime we also get an estimate to fix the seam between the sofa sections which bother Marlies. I can't even see the problem. Our color leather can not be found at Newmar and if we buy new stuff somewhere, they will redo the entire sofa for only $1772 in labor costs. Yes mam, right away mam. Even my fussy little deary can now see that the problem is not as big as she thought it was. I guess I opened the spicket a bit too wide here at Duncan. Perhaps they live and die on Newmar warranty work and the margins may be a bit too skimpy. Then there is that other business ... and along came frugal Fred. :-)
We met a nice German couple (Uwe & Karin Schnitzler from Cologne) and went with the Temples and them to the Texas Round House for dinner. Another great place to eat if you like loud music and line dancing servers. My ribs were wet and messy but tasty enough.
Our old floor is all removed and ready for new flooring. New rollers are being installed for the slides (don't know why) and these were giving Mike, our tech, fits to install. We'll see if day three will bring him more success. They marked the new window location on the wall and then asked me if the location was OK. Well, no but isn't it a little late to ask after you crayon up the wall? Fun and games.
Did some other house cleaning today. Got the Envoy lubed and oiled and were told our center brake light was out. Who knows how long? Find a GMC dealer to fix it and are told an hour later that these things are LEDS type lights and the whole unit needs to be ordered as it's not a stock item. One red light $160. We then look for new tires as the XUV must have around 50K miles on it with the towing. Strange, when you look for tire stores none appear otherwise they are all over the place. SAMs has a tire sale on Michellin. Since that is what we have and they wore well, I buy a set and get $60 off. I thought it was off each tire as they list at $188 retail. Oh well. We then go off in search of an alignment shop and make an appointment at Baileys for 8am Thursday morning. The LED should be in by then and the Envoy will be back in shape just like big blue mama.
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