Great news ... for us us anyway. No water, no raccoons, no nothing wrong with the house on our arrival. After our winter hiatus, we'd almost grown accustomed to dealing with some problem at the house ... but not this year. A welcome change.
I'll need to double check the numbers but I think we put around 4,000 miles on the coach this trip and an additional 11,000 on the old Trail Blazer. And mostly without any mechanical problems. Another welcomed change. As each year goes by we appreciate more and more the quality of our Monaco coach. Sure we have an occasional repair issue but these older rigs were certainly built to a different, and I argue, higher standard. They are simple, yet elegant with materials and craftsmanship but few coaches being built today, can match. Our 11 litre, 400hp Cummins engine pushes us around with little effort and does it with a not too thirsty attitude. On average of over 9 miles per gallon, it may sound like it's pretty thirsty but considering our total weight of over 40,000lbs it's really not bad. Besides ... in what else can you spend the night in a WalMart parking lot (but we seldom do), sleep in your own bed, don't have to pack and unpack a suitcase, and spend most of our time wandering around this great country?
Just prior to arriving home, our final four day stop at Camp Turkeyville RV Resort near Marshall Michigan (www.campturkeyville.com) was uneventful though a little lonely in the empty park. We certainly enjoyed the visits with family and friends in the area. Our hometown Battle Creek, is still our hometown ... even though we've lived away for many years, the family and friends will always make it so.
So after some much needed yard work, thanks to a rather rough winter here, and the effort of cleaning up my junk clogged garage, we'll be heading off to our summer retreat in South Haven Michigan.
We've got some interesting plans for this summer so stay with us and enjoy the ride.
Still livin' the dream in Spring-like Michigan.
Phil
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Back in Michigan ....brrrrrrrrrr
Three clues on why I know I'm in Michigan.
1. I've stopped seeing squashed armadillos on the freeway.
2. The trees don't have those interesting green things hanging all over them.
3. I now reach for the heater controls instead of the air conditioning.
It had to end sometime ... those 80 degrees days with bright blue skies and short sleeved shirts.
The last leg of our trip north began in Anderson Indiana. A return stopover at the Timberline Valley RV Resort and we just got settled and the heavens opened dropping 3.9 inches of rain on us in about 6 hours. The only salvation was a pleasant dinner with Sharon's sister Linda and Brother-in-law John (birthday boy at that) who took time out of their busy schedule to drive down from Carmel to see us. As usual it was great seeing them and hearing about the new house they are having built.
The weather was threatening all the next day (today) so we weren't sure we could even travel, but as it turned out, we decided to give it a try anyway. But not without a little mechanical drama ... This usually means something was not right with the coach. I fired up the engine and noticed my volt meter was indicating less then 12 volts from the generator. I revved up the motor a bit and saw little movement in the needle. I let it run a little longer and it started to move up just a little. Suspecting a slipping belt, I shut off the engine and stepped out into the rainy, foggy morning to check it out. Nope ... it looked okay and the belt was tight enough so I closed up the engine compartment, went back inside, dried myself off and once again started the engine. While admiring the now properly function volt meter (but I have no idea why), a red light and accompanying blaring buzzer went off on the instrument display indicating the engine coolant was low. Oh crap!, I'm thinking ... I know how to fix this problem (add a little 50/50 antifreeze) but I have to go outside again and do the work. This seems to be an on-going issue with the coach so someday I will try to figure out why the sensor keeps failing and giving false alarms. BTW I knew it was a false alarm because it didn't need any additional fluid.
We finally got on the road and decided that we'd stopped at the factory in Topeka Indiana where we had two recliners for the coach made last fall. The recliners are beautifully made furniture by an Amish craftsman named Vernon Lambright. He has a small manufacturing facility not far from Shipshewana and he stands by the products he makes like a true craftsman should. I called him and he said he'd have a look at the adjustments we wanted made, so we decided to drive over to his facility. It was almost on the way anyway ... and even though we were driving in rain and a pea soup fog, when retired who cares about time ... right? I asked his if he thought I could turn my coach around in his parking lot and he said 'no problem' ... plenty of room. The last quarter mile to his factory required us to navigate a now very muddy, pocked marked, lane and a half farm road that I had to share with several Amish driven horse and buggy rigs. I arrived at his place and soon discovered that, since Vernon had never driven a motor vehicle, let alone a 40ft coach and tow car, his notion that I could turn around in his driveway was a little off the mark. We pulled in anyway, knowing that I'd needed to unhook the car then reconnect it after I jockeyed the coach around ... all this in a driving rain.
I shut down the coach, went inside and was met by one of Vernon's young workers. Nate was a lad of about 24 and though he hardly looked 16, was married with a son and another child on the way. He said Vernon was off to a wedding and that he could help me. We explained the chair issues and fully expected to leave them there and pick them up later in the month but Nate said 'do you have about an hour or so?, I think I can get the job done'. And besides, he had to leave at precisely 3:30pm to attend the wedding himself. He noted that he wasn't a family member but it was a pretty special deal to be invited by his boss Vernon. So the young man had about and hour to work on my chair, close up the shop, get the proper cloths on and get to that wedding. He needed wrenches and a screw driver to dismantle the chair so off he went inside to get his equipment. Quickly returning, he took out about a dozen screws and bolts and vanished back into the shop with part of my chair. In his absence, Sharon prepared a short lunch and I rehooked up the tow car. Before long he came rushing out with the issue resolved and with 10 minutes to spare!.
In talking with Nate it was so interesting to get a little insight on how a traditional Amish man thinks. His work ethic and the survival of the family unit and his beliefs are what drives him. His wife raises all there own vegetable for the year, he and his family share a beef cattle with another family, he's not seen television but laughed at the silliness of a program somebody told him about called the 'Amish Mafia' (he surmised probably consisted of previously shunned members), he'd only eaten shrimp once or twice in his life, he's never driven a car, they'll be no dancing at tonight's wedding, and he wouldn't accept any money for the work he had just performed. Actually apologized that we had problems with the chairs. I'm thinking out loud now and I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe Nate could teach us all a thing or two.
So the chair is fixed and off we went. Windshield wipers slapping to the beat of a Ramsey Lewis tune playing on my Ipod, we're headed north again. Only about 90 minutes from our overnight stay near our hometown of Battle Creek.
We're staying at the Turkeyville RV Resort only because Sharon pleaded with them to allow us to stay ... even though the park had not opened for the season. what a woman! Located off exit 42 on I69, north of the I94 interchange, the genesis of the park really dates back probably 60-70 years to a man called Wayne Cornwell. If memory serves me, he started raising turkeys and selling them to local grocery stores maybe back in the 1950's. I remember it was always a big deal at Thanksgiving time to get a Cornwell turkey as they were fresh, not frozen and always had lots of white meat; more than the average bird anyway. So Wayne sold a boatload of turkeys and somewhere along the line he opened up a small restaurant that featured his turkey heaped on a bun with some mayo. Now these sandwiches were and still are fantastic so from these humble beginnings he then opened up an antique barn across the street then over the past few years, has developed the RV resort. Now Wayne has passed some years ago and I really don't know if his family is still involved or not, but his philosophy about running a quality business seems to be alive and well to this day. The facilities are new and it looks like there are lots of things for kids to do.
Anyway we pulled into the park a little late and the manager had already left for home. She left us some instructions as to where to park and she said would see us in the morning. The rain had not let up and, though most of the gravel roads and pads were well groomed and leveled, it was still a driving rain and the ground could only hold so much water. We arrived at our site and it was an erie sight being here by ourselves. Not a soul. No body until the park officially opens on the 15th of April. I guess we can't complain about noisy neighbors! I stepped out the coach into water and very soggy grass. Yuck. But it got worse. I had to unhook the tow car again, but now I had to stand in thick mud and gravel. Not so fun but got it done. I only had to hook up to power as the water had not been turned on in the park, so getting back into the warmth of the coach, and a hot cup of coffee was still very welcomed on this cold, blustery, and not at all like a southern Alabama day.
Not so sure about another day in paradise but still livin' the dream back home in Michigan.
Phil
1. I've stopped seeing squashed armadillos on the freeway.
2. The trees don't have those interesting green things hanging all over them.
3. I now reach for the heater controls instead of the air conditioning.
It had to end sometime ... those 80 degrees days with bright blue skies and short sleeved shirts.
The last leg of our trip north began in Anderson Indiana. A return stopover at the Timberline Valley RV Resort and we just got settled and the heavens opened dropping 3.9 inches of rain on us in about 6 hours. The only salvation was a pleasant dinner with Sharon's sister Linda and Brother-in-law John (birthday boy at that) who took time out of their busy schedule to drive down from Carmel to see us. As usual it was great seeing them and hearing about the new house they are having built.
The weather was threatening all the next day (today) so we weren't sure we could even travel, but as it turned out, we decided to give it a try anyway. But not without a little mechanical drama ... This usually means something was not right with the coach. I fired up the engine and noticed my volt meter was indicating less then 12 volts from the generator. I revved up the motor a bit and saw little movement in the needle. I let it run a little longer and it started to move up just a little. Suspecting a slipping belt, I shut off the engine and stepped out into the rainy, foggy morning to check it out. Nope ... it looked okay and the belt was tight enough so I closed up the engine compartment, went back inside, dried myself off and once again started the engine. While admiring the now properly function volt meter (but I have no idea why), a red light and accompanying blaring buzzer went off on the instrument display indicating the engine coolant was low. Oh crap!, I'm thinking ... I know how to fix this problem (add a little 50/50 antifreeze) but I have to go outside again and do the work. This seems to be an on-going issue with the coach so someday I will try to figure out why the sensor keeps failing and giving false alarms. BTW I knew it was a false alarm because it didn't need any additional fluid.
We finally got on the road and decided that we'd stopped at the factory in Topeka Indiana where we had two recliners for the coach made last fall. The recliners are beautifully made furniture by an Amish craftsman named Vernon Lambright. He has a small manufacturing facility not far from Shipshewana and he stands by the products he makes like a true craftsman should. I called him and he said he'd have a look at the adjustments we wanted made, so we decided to drive over to his facility. It was almost on the way anyway ... and even though we were driving in rain and a pea soup fog, when retired who cares about time ... right? I asked his if he thought I could turn my coach around in his parking lot and he said 'no problem' ... plenty of room. The last quarter mile to his factory required us to navigate a now very muddy, pocked marked, lane and a half farm road that I had to share with several Amish driven horse and buggy rigs. I arrived at his place and soon discovered that, since Vernon had never driven a motor vehicle, let alone a 40ft coach and tow car, his notion that I could turn around in his driveway was a little off the mark. We pulled in anyway, knowing that I'd needed to unhook the car then reconnect it after I jockeyed the coach around ... all this in a driving rain.
I shut down the coach, went inside and was met by one of Vernon's young workers. Nate was a lad of about 24 and though he hardly looked 16, was married with a son and another child on the way. He said Vernon was off to a wedding and that he could help me. We explained the chair issues and fully expected to leave them there and pick them up later in the month but Nate said 'do you have about an hour or so?, I think I can get the job done'. And besides, he had to leave at precisely 3:30pm to attend the wedding himself. He noted that he wasn't a family member but it was a pretty special deal to be invited by his boss Vernon. So the young man had about and hour to work on my chair, close up the shop, get the proper cloths on and get to that wedding. He needed wrenches and a screw driver to dismantle the chair so off he went inside to get his equipment. Quickly returning, he took out about a dozen screws and bolts and vanished back into the shop with part of my chair. In his absence, Sharon prepared a short lunch and I rehooked up the tow car. Before long he came rushing out with the issue resolved and with 10 minutes to spare!.
In talking with Nate it was so interesting to get a little insight on how a traditional Amish man thinks. His work ethic and the survival of the family unit and his beliefs are what drives him. His wife raises all there own vegetable for the year, he and his family share a beef cattle with another family, he's not seen television but laughed at the silliness of a program somebody told him about called the 'Amish Mafia' (he surmised probably consisted of previously shunned members), he'd only eaten shrimp once or twice in his life, he's never driven a car, they'll be no dancing at tonight's wedding, and he wouldn't accept any money for the work he had just performed. Actually apologized that we had problems with the chairs. I'm thinking out loud now and I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe Nate could teach us all a thing or two.
So the chair is fixed and off we went. Windshield wipers slapping to the beat of a Ramsey Lewis tune playing on my Ipod, we're headed north again. Only about 90 minutes from our overnight stay near our hometown of Battle Creek.
We're staying at the Turkeyville RV Resort only because Sharon pleaded with them to allow us to stay ... even though the park had not opened for the season. what a woman! Located off exit 42 on I69, north of the I94 interchange, the genesis of the park really dates back probably 60-70 years to a man called Wayne Cornwell. If memory serves me, he started raising turkeys and selling them to local grocery stores maybe back in the 1950's. I remember it was always a big deal at Thanksgiving time to get a Cornwell turkey as they were fresh, not frozen and always had lots of white meat; more than the average bird anyway. So Wayne sold a boatload of turkeys and somewhere along the line he opened up a small restaurant that featured his turkey heaped on a bun with some mayo. Now these sandwiches were and still are fantastic so from these humble beginnings he then opened up an antique barn across the street then over the past few years, has developed the RV resort. Now Wayne has passed some years ago and I really don't know if his family is still involved or not, but his philosophy about running a quality business seems to be alive and well to this day. The facilities are new and it looks like there are lots of things for kids to do.
Anyway we pulled into the park a little late and the manager had already left for home. She left us some instructions as to where to park and she said would see us in the morning. The rain had not let up and, though most of the gravel roads and pads were well groomed and leveled, it was still a driving rain and the ground could only hold so much water. We arrived at our site and it was an erie sight being here by ourselves. Not a soul. No body until the park officially opens on the 15th of April. I guess we can't complain about noisy neighbors! I stepped out the coach into water and very soggy grass. Yuck. But it got worse. I had to unhook the tow car again, but now I had to stand in thick mud and gravel. Not so fun but got it done. I only had to hook up to power as the water had not been turned on in the park, so getting back into the warmth of the coach, and a hot cup of coffee was still very welcomed on this cold, blustery, and not at all like a southern Alabama day.
Not so sure about another day in paradise but still livin' the dream back home in Michigan.
Phil
Monday, April 8, 2013
Heading home
I'm just sitting here ... the shimmering reflection off the giant red Shoney's sign hits the glass smooth pond that separates our coach from the distant eatery. I65 traffic streams by but the only notice I take is the colorful ribbons of tail lights and headlights in the distance. We've left our Gulf Shores hideout for the past five weeks and are finally heading north. We're not alone today as many fellow 'snow birds' have joined us on the freeways ... some in no hurry at 55mph ... others it's pedal to the metal. We're somewhere in between but really in no hurry as it looks as if the expected Spring weather has once again alluded Michigan. With heavy fog expected here in the morning I'm sure we'll be delayed a few hours at the very least.
Our quiet stay in Gulf Shores was a pleasant surprise. We purposely cut back our socializing and spent more time just relaxing and doing little else. The 500 site Gulf State Park is a real gem. Very well maintained and lot sizes were huge. With many southern schools on Spring break there were a lot of kids in the park but the park is so big they were hardly noticed ... with one exception.
About a week ago a couple of young guys pulled in with nice new truck and new 5th wheel. My guess is one of their parents provided the rig but for sure these guys were going to have a great spring break. To the beach they'd go in the day and in the late afternoon return to party. They knew they were surrounded by old farts at this end of the camp so they kept the shades pulled and the windows shut. The only hint of their party ways was the growing pile of empty beer cans at the foot of their trailer steps. Friends usually joined them at night and before long the pile was probably near 100 empties. It was a mess but most of us knew it couldn't last forever and they'd be gone soon enough. So after about three days the party boys couldn't contain themselves. Out from the confines of their trailer the roar of exuberant and very drunk youngsters landed on their patio. With no vulgarity left unsaid and usually said for the entire park to hear, they then started 'let's play kick the empty beer can' game. We couldn't see, but only hear how the game was going as we were then laying in bed and it was 1:00am in the morning!
Soon my tolerance level was breached and I reached for the phone to call the park authorities. The guy who answered wasn't too impressed with my complaint but I reminded him that I didn't sign up this behavior when we checked in. He backed off and said he'd call the park ranger. A few minutes later I could hear somebody (turned out to be the ranger) talking on a radio outside our bedroom window. He apparently came up with his lights off to observe the party boys. While on the radio he asked for backup as a bunch of drunk young men might be more than he wanted to tackle. Within a few more minutes the Gulf Shores city police arrived and broke up the party. But not before they had every beer can picked up and the extra party boys were asked to leave. I chatted with the ranger after the commotion subsided and he said the young guys and their daddies trailer would be leaving first thing in the morning and apologized for the disturbance. As promised, when morning arrived, the ranger arrived and Spring break was over as the party boys drove away. Now if the party boys had only offered me a cold beer in the first place .......
We're currently in Clanton AL and when the fog clears tomorrow we'll head for Cave City Kentucky some 300 miles up the road. Surprise ... Surprise ... I think they are known for the large number of caves in the area. Since spelunking was a pastime for my family when I was kid, it seems like a great place to stay. Sharon, and her notion that caves and hairy bats go together like peanut butter and crackers ... it might be a great place to visit but we're not going into any caves she tells me.
So the Michigan-Louisville championship game is at half time so I'll close for now and ... Go Blue!
Still livin' the dream on a warm Spring evening in southern Alabama.
Phil
Our quiet stay in Gulf Shores was a pleasant surprise. We purposely cut back our socializing and spent more time just relaxing and doing little else. The 500 site Gulf State Park is a real gem. Very well maintained and lot sizes were huge. With many southern schools on Spring break there were a lot of kids in the park but the park is so big they were hardly noticed ... with one exception.
About a week ago a couple of young guys pulled in with nice new truck and new 5th wheel. My guess is one of their parents provided the rig but for sure these guys were going to have a great spring break. To the beach they'd go in the day and in the late afternoon return to party. They knew they were surrounded by old farts at this end of the camp so they kept the shades pulled and the windows shut. The only hint of their party ways was the growing pile of empty beer cans at the foot of their trailer steps. Friends usually joined them at night and before long the pile was probably near 100 empties. It was a mess but most of us knew it couldn't last forever and they'd be gone soon enough. So after about three days the party boys couldn't contain themselves. Out from the confines of their trailer the roar of exuberant and very drunk youngsters landed on their patio. With no vulgarity left unsaid and usually said for the entire park to hear, they then started 'let's play kick the empty beer can' game. We couldn't see, but only hear how the game was going as we were then laying in bed and it was 1:00am in the morning!
Soon my tolerance level was breached and I reached for the phone to call the park authorities. The guy who answered wasn't too impressed with my complaint but I reminded him that I didn't sign up this behavior when we checked in. He backed off and said he'd call the park ranger. A few minutes later I could hear somebody (turned out to be the ranger) talking on a radio outside our bedroom window. He apparently came up with his lights off to observe the party boys. While on the radio he asked for backup as a bunch of drunk young men might be more than he wanted to tackle. Within a few more minutes the Gulf Shores city police arrived and broke up the party. But not before they had every beer can picked up and the extra party boys were asked to leave. I chatted with the ranger after the commotion subsided and he said the young guys and their daddies trailer would be leaving first thing in the morning and apologized for the disturbance. As promised, when morning arrived, the ranger arrived and Spring break was over as the party boys drove away. Now if the party boys had only offered me a cold beer in the first place .......
We're currently in Clanton AL and when the fog clears tomorrow we'll head for Cave City Kentucky some 300 miles up the road. Surprise ... Surprise ... I think they are known for the large number of caves in the area. Since spelunking was a pastime for my family when I was kid, it seems like a great place to stay. Sharon, and her notion that caves and hairy bats go together like peanut butter and crackers ... it might be a great place to visit but we're not going into any caves she tells me.
So the Michigan-Louisville championship game is at half time so I'll close for now and ... Go Blue!
Still livin' the dream on a warm Spring evening in southern Alabama.
Phil
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