Merry Christmas!

Garfield December 20, 2020

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

&

A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Mid December Update

Lefty

Time passes quickly!  It's update time!

We're still at the Gulf State Park.  Since we last updated the blog, we moved in to Beth & Carl's Class B motorhome for a few nights.  We got our trailer back December 1st.  Slides and leveling legs work with no leaks noted plus we have a new, shiny bottom cover.  So far, things are working well.  We were also able to have the trailer washed & hand waxed once we got it back to the park.  We're now back to our routine with Donna riding her bicycle with the Folks on Spokes and me walking the park.

We've kinda kept ourselves in a bubble since we're down here.  There's two couples we do go out to eat with & one of which we play games with on a somewhat regular schedule.  We eat at restaurants that follow the CDC recommendations/guidelines.  Try to eat outside at restaurants as weather permits.  Folk on Spokes do social distancing while they're out.  

That gets you up to date on us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next time, David

  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're currently house-cat sitting for Greg & Judy while our rig remains out for repairs.  Consequently, we've been given the opportunity to experience varying lifestyles besides full-timing in a 5th wheel trailer.  

For the first two weeks were in a hotel (Staybridge).  This week - Thanksgiving - we're experiencing sticks-n-bricks graciously lent to us by Greg & Judy who also lent us their cat to play with.  Starting Tuesday, we'll be in a motorhome graciously lent to us by Beth & Carl.  Beth & Carl moved their motorhome (2013 Phoenix Cruiser - a Class B+ motorhome) out of storage & over to our site at the state park, yesterday.  We started "moving in" to it today.  We plan to stay in the motorhome until we get our unit back or until March 2021 - whichever comes first.  No date on when our trailer will be repaired.  Could be this week.  Could be after the first of the year.  Your guess as good as ours.

So that gets you up to speed on us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  I'll post again in a couple of weeks.  Be safe out there, David

 

The dark side of RVing (#GoRVing)

RVs For Less, Knoxville, Tennessee, December 2015

We started this blog so that people could follow along and, with the agreement with blogger, that the info could be used for research and "prosperity" - people just researching history.  Here goes history...

Staring us in our face is that it's time for the adventure to move on - another phase, if you will.  We don't know how this transition will occur or even play out.  We don't know what it will look like.  It's still part of the adventure.  What we do know is that people need to hear the dark side of RVing.  People need to know the truth.  For future readers who believe truth is for philosophers, then deal with the following facts. 

First fact: The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (#RVing) is a failure.  Always has been; always will be.  The words sound right.  Unfortunately, results are missing.  Always has been; always will be.  If you are stuck with a bad RV, you WILL NOT solve your problem by buying another RV.  #GoRving is just as guilty.  Sell a dream; deliver a nightmare.  They won't admit that RV really stands for Ruined Vacation.

Second fact:  RV Manufactures (#RVmanufactures) :  Unless your intention is to build garbage, you suck at what you.  The product you build looks impressive.  The paint schemes & floor plans are impressive.  Features dazzle.  Durability does not exist.  Reliability...well, you know how bad it is.  Maybe you finished the plumbing.  Maybe you didn't.  Who knows where those wires go!  Yes, those hydraulic lines are meant to route between the trailer frame and the slide frame so that you cut them every time you move the slide.

Your workers are drug addicts because you work them at such a pace that only a drug addict can keep up.  You may be doing well today as a business.  I'd like to think there's some integrity in yours hearts.  Unfortunately, the results do not support this.  If you're a manufacturer and you think your product is the best, then explain the long lines and waiting lists of people trying to get into your service bays to be repaired.  Really, did you build them so well that the units are designed to break so you could have repeat business?  (a variation of the Bill Gates business model)  

Third fact:  RV dealers vary.  If Marcus Lemonis was as good as he brags he is on his shows, Camping World and the RV Industry brands it sells would be perfect.  I'm not hash-tagging Camping World.  It's all over the internet.  We know not to go there.  We suggest you look elsewhere, too.

Fourth fact - RV Repair:  Good ones exist.  They're worth their weight in gold.  If it weren't for Indiana Interstate Enterprises (#Cross RV), we would not have lasted this long.  Best ones are known by word of mouth.  Check brand forums for suggestions.  When you find one, treat them with the utmost respect that you can.

Fifth fact:  RVers.  Best people in the world.  We would not be here without them.  We would not have gotten a slide in on Nov 9th without them.   However, some of you RVers need to own-up to the facts.  If you tell someone that your unit/brand has never given you any problems, well...let's tell it like it is...either you're not smart enough to know there's problems with your unit or you're not being truthful.  I'll let you take your pick.   

We're tired of unplanned, annual catastrophic failures - frame, suspension, hydraulic failures, you name it that have put us in hotels for weeks at a time.  People will walk by our trailer and talk about how nice it is.  It's a piece of garbage.  Today it sits on site 286 in Gulf State Park, AL in a puddle of about six to eight quarts or more of hydraulic fluid and only one of the front legs is actually holding the front of the trailer off of the pavement.  We got the sides in with the help of about eight couples from the Folks-on-Spokes, Gulf Shores group.  The rear leveling legs did retract.  The hydraulics died at that point.  Everything that died on that trailer, Tuesday, has been replaced within the last two years.  I'm sure it created additional damage that we don't know about, yet.  We're in hotels or invading relatives probably until the first of the year.  Professionals are going to have to move the trailer.  We'll clean up the site when the trailer is moved.  We do not know when the trailer will be moved.  Hopefully, this week.  The trailer goes to RVs Unlimited near Robertsdale, AL for repair.

There's been only one planned "Leave the trailer while it's being worked on" in 2017 and it was overridden by a known-but-no-one-would-admit frame crack - or two.  A young Lippert tech had to convince Lippert management that we had a problem.  They finally came out and told us we had a "catastrophe" on our hands...as if we all didn't already know.  (See our post of September 14, 2011.  I'm aware that the following post was all rosy.  Little did we know.  Why?  Because other RVers who knew better wouldn't tell us and were too afraid of the push back by forum & Facebook Group administrators to say something.  Can't be too negative, ya know!  Donna and I are telling you today.)

We're not telling you to not go out and enjoy the RV lifestyle.  But if you're one of the people who have asked for our advice, you now know why we hesitated.  It is a wonderous life style!  We're just telling you to not be suckered in by appearances and pretty features.  Do your homework!  Be prepared!

An old cliché tells that the two best days of owning a boat are when you buy it and when you sell it.  This is not the case with us.  The day we leave our trailer to be sold by consignment - yes, that piece of garbage - will be a very depressing day for Donna and I.  We'll miss the people and the lifestyle.  The RV industry...not so much.

Look for the next update toward the end of the month...unless I need to vent, again.  Until next time, David

Dilbert Nov 14 2020

At Gulf State Park

 

We made to the state park, yesterday, after a two-night stay near Ozark, AL.  Campground about 20-25% full with most sites still lacking power.  The park has done a superb job cleaning the place up.  We were aware of a wildfire before Hurricane Sally hit, so we're seeing the remnants of both as we get out and walk/bike around.

We came in from the east via Pensacola and the beach highway this year.  Visible hurricane damage was generally roofs, signs, downed trees, and fences.  The hurricane/tornado resistant roofs did appear to fare better than traditional roofs.  

As we plan to be here until March, I'll update the blog on a bi-weekly basis. The truck has an oil seepage that needs to be taken care of as well as some software updates.  We developed another hydraulic leak in the trailer that appears to be the same leak we developed last year that made us leave the trailer in Elkhart for a month to get repaired while we traveled on to Virginia.   We're competing with all the insurance claims from the hurricane, so it'll be a while before either is repaired.  May have to delay leaving the area next year or just winterize the trailer and drag it back to Elkhart.  We'll see.

In the mean time, here's some pictures we've taken so far.  David

 

Stone Mountain, GA

After a quick two weeks in Fredericksburg, we've moved further south to Stone Mountain, GA to visit Doug.  We're here for a week.  Most of the Stone Mountain Park renovations that were underway when we were here in April are complete.  They've done a super job for the area around the "C" loop (Orange).  While renovation hadn't started when we left back in April, they've renovated "L" loop (Green), too.  Maybe they'll get to do the rest of the park next year.

We had a nice stop in Fredericksburg.  Saw a couple of folks and attended church for a couple of Sundays.  It was a short "visit".

Hurricane Sally blew away a lot of Gulf State Park -  the park where we tend to spend our winters.  Due to all the issues around the pandemic, we'd decided to arrive earlier than our typical December 1st arrivals of the past.  We'd hope to be there on October 30th, but those reservations were canceled by the state park week before last.  The park called us this past Tuesday and told us we could arrive November 1st.  So that's our new plan.  Based on a Facebook post by the state park, it looks like they've got about a 100 sites confirmed to open on November 1st plus a probable 100 additional sites on the 1st, too.  The remaining sites are planned to be open November 12th.  

Our new plan is also to leave here (Stone Mountain) on October 30th and spend Halloween weekend near Ozark, AL.

Anyway, that's it for this week.  Donna's cooking for Doug.  Thanks for dropping by and checking on us.  Until next week, David

 

Fredericksburg, VA

KOA Fredericksburg/Washington DC South, November 2011

Hope everyone is doing well with the aftermath of Hurricane Delta.  It's not fun after everything you all have been through, I'm sure.

We've made it back to Fredericksburg, VA.  It's been several years since we've been here during autumn with the trailer.  Unlike previous visits, we're doing very little visiting this time.  Only here for a couple of weeks.  We do have some doc appointments while here.  Future plans are to move on to Stone Mountain, GA when we leave here.  Gulf State Park, AL after that (when it opens).  

We had a good trip down from Shipshewana.  Pennsylvania Turnpike was pretty with all the leaves changing.  Leaves just beginning to change here in the Fredericksburg, area.  

For those who keep up with it, there's still air in the recently replace truck wheel & tire (as of today).  Actually, it currently has too much air in it, but I'm too chicken to go out and release some air from it.  Don't want to give it any ideas!

Our obnoxious hot water line to the washer began to leak - again.  It's obnoxious in that you find out about it when it floods the large storage compartment under the bedroom.  Other than that, it's just inconvenient since we have the Splendide washer/dryer combo and the Splendide washer requires both hot and cold water pressure to work regardless of the water temperature you've selected.  And that leak happens way too often.  Kind of like how our hydraulic leaks & failures happen way too often.

Anyway, remnants of Delta are just now beginning to show up here.  It's a rain day.  Good day to watch football.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  I'll post once we leave for Georgia.  Until then, be safe.  David

Shipshewana, IN

 

We're fine and having a lazy last morning in the hotel.  Trailer service complete.  We'll pick it up & move a little later today over to Shipshewana for the weekend.  That's going the wrong way for heading further east, but campgrounds to the east around Angola, IN are full this weekend.

Plans are to move near Lake Milton, OH on Monday, Bedford, PA Tuesday, and be in Fredericksburg, VA on Wednesday.  Be the first time in three years we'll be in Fredericksburg in the fall with the trailer!  Of course we still have to see what surprises I-80 has for us!

So that's the current plan.  Still watching the front passenger tire on the truck to see if it's really gonna hold air.  Talked with a guy, yesterday, with the same type truck we have.  He was having issues with two wheels.   And so it goes...

Anyway, that's it for this week.  Thanks for dropping by.  Until next week, David

Move Day

 

Move day for us.  Trailer goes to Lagrange, IN while we move out for a few nights & go to a hotel in Howe, IN.  Almost a routine we've become used to when we're in the area, and leaving the trailer with Paul & Kay Cross of Indian Interstate Enterprises.  Hope to have the trailer back by next weekend.

We're fine.  New wheel on truck.  Give it a couple of weeks to see if it's a fix.  New wheel was needed as it was chipped where the tire pressure monitor attaches to the valve stem.  But if you'll google "2017 Ford F350 dual rear wheel valve stem failure", you'll quickly find that a new wheel is not always a solution.  And there may not be a solution.  OK, maybe the rubber, high-pressure valve stems work as our rear passenger tire has stopped...did I just jinx myself?

Bicycles were serviced, and we worked in a bicycle ride on part of the Pumpkinvine Trail.  Mostly walked on other days.  Still in the area another week, so there may be more bicycle rides coming up if the weather cooperates.

Oh, you should hear the story of me trying to make an appointment to get Donna's military dependent ID card renewed while we're spending the winter in Gulf Shores (we hope).  Anyone that worked with me knows my distain for Navy Marine Corps Intranet or NMCI.  Well, I'm told NMCI is dead & gone, but apparently, the ghosts remain.  Ended up working with the Army guys' help desk.  It appears that the reCAPCHA test for whether you're a human or a robot thinks you're a robot if fill in the online application like a human.   OK.  I'm giving things to do to try to fake it out.  It's a pain, of course, but it works. Well, it works until you make you're appointment and you get a "Google" error (unexpected response from "Google" or so the error states).  OK, go through the process all over, again, and the response is that you already have an appointment.  Good - where's my confirmation email?   No confirmation email.  Can't talk to NAS Pensacola as they're still trying to clean up from Hurricane Sally.  Go back to the help desk, give them the information and requested date/time for an appointment.  Within minutes we have our confirmation email.  Great!  Now if NAS Pensacola will open back up before her ID expires, we'll be fine.

Anyway, that's it for this week.  Hope everyone is doing well and the gulf coast recovery is going well for everyone down there, too.  Until next week, David

Elkhart 4H Fairgrounds, Elkhart, IN

We arrived safely late Monday afternoon.  It's our first time here in the fairground's campground as there is usually a rally (generally the trailer brand Montana rally) this time of year that takes over the campground.  Campground about 50-60% full.  Lots of Montana branded trailers here.  Talked with one owner who's here.  Even though there was no rally this year, they came, anyway.

The fairground is located on a spur of the Pumpkinvine Bicycle Trail, so it's easy to walk to.  We've got our bicycles in for service.  When we get 'em back, we'll probably ride the trial some.  Surprising to us, the bicycle shop was empty of new bicycles.  This shop - Family Bicycle Center - normally has 4 or 5 dozen new bicycles.  There has been so many in previous visits, that it was hard to walk through the shop.  They hope to have more "product" by next spring.

Funny how you get to meet everyone in the campground when there's an RV tech or Lippert service truck parked in front of your rig.  For those of you looking to take a mental break from the aftermath of Hurricane Sally (way worse than anything we've suffered), let me take you back a few days.  

First, note that it's a rare stay in the Elkhart/Lagrange, Indiana area for us that anything goes as planned.  As I said above, we got here late Monday afternoon.   First service date was Wednesday morning at 7 AM.  Nice 15 minute drive to the Lippert Service Center.  When we get there the hydraulic Level-Up system works flawlessly. We have them do a full service to the hydraulic system.  We're pronounced healthy and off we go.  

Next up is tires on Friday.  We replaced all of the trailer tires including the spare.  As we are doing things early before the sun is up, I'd gotten what I though was condensate on my hands from one of the utility access doors, but couldn't really see what I had felt.  Unusual for water to be there, but a backflow valve could be going bad and leaked water there.  When we got back to the fairgrounds and I went to that utility door, it was covered in hydraulic fluid.  Yep, we've broken another hydraulic line and we were just there Wednesday! Why now?!  Why didn't it break Wednesday while we were there and they had the bottom of the trailer off?!

So I called Lippert to get another appointment.  The lady asked where we were.  When I told her we were at the fairgrounds, she said she'd have a tech out to us in about 30 minutes.  You know someone is looking out for you when the same tech that worked on your trailer's hydraulics on Wednesday is the same tech that comes out.  Care to guess what he found?  Yep, when they reinstalled the bottom of the trailer, they pinched a hydraulic line and cut it.  How could that happen?  Well, once you're past the storage compartment under the bedroom, not a single hydraulic line is routed where it's suppose to be routed in our trailer.  Those lines lay anywhere and as it just so happens, one line lays right where the fasteners go into the floor.  As our fasteners are really sheet metal screws, it's not hard to drill a hole in a hydraulic line.  Sounds like a job for a future visit to Lippert to have those lines routed properly.

Truck tire:  You knew this wasn't going away, didn't you!  As soon as we started east from Sioux Falls, the front passenger tire stated leaking.  Took it to Auto Park Ford in Sturgis, MI.  They see the truck as often as anyone else.  Did a quick check on the valve stem for an air leak and the soap was bubbling just as pretty as you please.  As they confirmed they'd followed the Valve Stem Leak Tech bulletin from Ford back in May, they went to work on it, again.  They found the real problem.  The hole for the valve stem - tire pressure monitor is chipped & damaged.  New wheel on the way.  

(OK, maybe the real problem: The alloy wheels that come on Ford's F350 dual-rear wheel trucks' are designed prior to the design of the various tire pressure monitoring systems that's mandated on all new vehicles.  That valve stem hole may not be designed to handle the dynamics that result for the extra weight of the tire pressure monitoring system.  As we travel our "smooth" US Highway system, the wheels just may not be able to handle the dynamics of that monitor's extra weight.  And given we've hit potholes that's broken our trailer's suspension twice and cut two hydraulic lines, it could be doing that to the alloy wheels on the truck, too.)

So that's our excitement.  Next service appointment for the trailer is Monday, September 28th.  Unlike some folks that we know on the gulf coast, our trailer is upright and not flooded...well I haven't walked out and checked this morning, so that may be a little premature!  Things seem to be working, though. Weather is cool.  Woke up to 35 degrees outside this morning.  Our high is in the mid-60s.  The fairgrounds is having a drive-thru, fairground-food weekend.  All the food vendors are here.  You can't walk up to them.  You have to drive.  We'll go get something bad & delicious later this afternoon.

Anyway, thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David

DeForest, WI

We're back near Madison, WI awaiting for the rain to pass.  We had a great visit to Sioux Falls, SD.  Unfortunately, it's time to move to the Elkhart, IN area for trailer service and repair.

We left Sioux Falls on Thursday - a day later than planned due to weather.  Wednesday, our planned departure date, was a cold, rainy, unpleasant day for traveling.  We stopped Thursday night near Rochester, MN and moved to Deforest on Friday.  We got in about a couple of hours before the next round of rain came through.  This area is soaked!

Our plans are to move to Goshen, IN tomorrow to the Elkhart Fairgrounds.  This will be our first time to stay at the Elkhart Fairgrounds.  In a normal year, the fairground's campground is full with some RV rally.  No rally this year, so we get to check it out.  First service stop is Wednesday with Lippert.  New tires for the trailer on Friday if all goes well.  Our appointment with Indiana Interstate Enterprises is for Monday, September 28.

Somewhere in there we'll get the oil changed in the truck.  Donna's older brother, Doug, jinxed us.  Our attempt to stop the valve stem leaks on the truck's wheels appears to have failed.  We'll take it back to a Ford dealer letting them know that following Ford's technical service bulletin has failed as has the attempt to change to rubber, high-pressure valve stems.  Maybe time to look at new wheels has come.  Unfortunately, we can find no aftermarket wheels to fit our truck.

Other items of note:  Donna fished out two dead mice in the AC ducting for the front (bedroom) AC.  Not the easiest thing to do looking in a mirror and facing backwards while standing on a step ladder.  Why two mice and why up there we'll never know.  

So that's our week/our plans.  Thanks for dropping by and checking upon us!  Until next week, David

  

Sioux Falls, SD Week 2

We've had a great week visiting the Sioux Falls area and did get to meet up with Ken & Sue at the zoo.  We've tried to get out and walk each day.  Visits this week were to the Old Courthouse, the Great Plains Zoo (as already mentioned), Good Earth State Park, and various parks along the bicycle path around Sioux Falls (Greenway Trail).  We've had varying temps from comfortable to hot, light showers, and Wyoming wind.  After having spent most of the summer in Voyageurs Natl Park where we had less than optimal power (5,500 watts or less), the KOA is refreshing where we can run three appliances on the same line without voltage dropping below 110 volts.  Otherwise, it's a great overnight stop along I-90.  (Should Jeannie & Craig read this blog, the KOA sites aren't long enough for you.)

Unlike last year when we came through, it's a dry Sioux Falls and water in the Big Sioux River is down.  We have noticed people kayaking it, though.  The Greenway Trail system is well used on the weekends, and the parks along the south end are busy.

Pictures below are from our visit this week.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us,  We're prepping for an upcoming cold spell and plan to move east beginning Wednesday.  Until next week, David.   

Old Courthouse Clock

Great Plains Zoo

Big Sioux River (Good Earth State Park)

Cherry Creek (Cherry Creek Connector Trail - Greenway Trail Spur)

Big Sioux River (Greenway Trail)

Big Sioux River (Greenway Trail)

At Sioux Falls, SD

Falls Park, Sioux Falls, SD

We made it to Mitchell, SD on Sunday for drivers license renewal.  On Wednesday we moved over to Sioux Falls.  We plan to be here through Labor Day before making our way south to the Elkhart, IN area for trailer servicing & repair.  We've never visited the Sioux Falls area for any length of time before now.  I have a colleague from a sister command when I retired that has moved to the area.  He's giving us good info on things to see and do as are several friends from the "Folks-on-Spokes, Gulf Shores" group that Donna rides with when we're in Gulf Shores, AL.  We're planning to take a lot of the area in while here.  The 90+ degree heat has broken, and we're looking at high 70s/low 80s for the next week or so.  We were very pleased with the 58 degrees we woke up to today!  Even ran one heat pump for a little bit, too.

Catching everyone up:  The trailer's hydraulic leveling system works, but we're still getting some erroneous readings.  As long as those readings don't throw a 'safety stop" into the system, we do fine. Lippert appointment is set for September 16th. The trip to the dentist found I actually had one cracked tooth plus another one chipped.  The cracked tooth got a filling while the dentist just cleaned up the chip on the other tooth so food wouldn't catch in it.  A local tire dealership - recommended by the local Ford Truck dealership - replaced our two leaky metal valve stems with rubber high pressure valve stems.  It's been only one day, but both tires are holding air.  Usually, by this time (24+ hrs), one of the tires would be down 3 to 10 lbs.  We'll keep an eye on them as we still have 4 other wheels with metal valve stems that could start leaking at any moment. We also had a stow away - a field mouse probably from Voyageurs.  It's met an untimely end.

We finally got out to see the area, yesterday.  First stop was Falls Park where the local water fall and cascades are located.  We'd been told there was a bicycle path around the city.  We see it on Google Maps and on the local trail signs.  We'll get out and walk or bike more of it over the next week or so.

This morning's walk was a stroll at the local Japanese Gardens and around Covell Lake.  Nice walk.  The gardens were allowed to deteriorate.  They're now being restored.  Still nice to look at, but it's easy to see it needs a lot of work.

A few pictures of what we've seen are attached below for you to take a look-see.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David   

Falls Park

Falls Park

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

On the Road to Mitchell, SD

 

We're fine and - at the moment - sitting at County Line RV in Summit, SD for the weekend.  It's a little town just off I-29 about 2 hours north of Sioux Falls.  We're surrounded by dirt roads, corn fields and cattle.  The picture, above, is from Paul Bunyan Park in Bemidji, MN where we walked along the Lake Bemidji lake shore on Thursday.

The family next to us is changing a trailer tire on their boat trailer this morning as I write this.  Not a good sign as we now have two leaky tires on the truck ourselves.  One is on the front that I can reach to add air (and this is a leaky valve stem that Ford has a TSB (technical service bulletin) on, but we've learned - by experience - the TSB doesn't actually fix the leak.)  The other air leak is on the rear dual wheels where Ford so conveniently located the valve stems that even a Ford dealer has had to dismount the rear tires just to add air to them.  And the closest tire shop is in Sioux Falls - about a two hour drive south that would be closed by the time I could get there.  Hopefully, I can get air into the tires today (on edit, I was successful), and we can get it looked at in Sioux Falls.  Acts like it's a leaky valve stem on that rear dual, too.

As the trailer reaches it tenth year of use, we can't move without breaking or wearing out something on the trailer.  To be fair, I've cracked a tooth, so I'm old & fragile, too, and have a dental appointment in Sioux Falls later this week.  The rear sensor for the leveling system is providing erroneous readings.  Yesterday morning it read the front of the trailer as too low to raise the rear leveling legs manually.  So you have to raise the front high enough to fake the sensor so it allows you to raise the rear leveling legs.  (We'll forego the discussion that you're not suppose to raise the front of the trailer with the rear leveling legs down as you may damage the rear leveling legs.  We've done this with a travel trailer, so we speak from experience.)  

The sensor's just worn out or the mount is broken...or both.  Of course it's conveniently located a couple of feet behind the rear axle of the trailer where you have to remove the exterior bottom floor & insulation of the trailer to get to it.  Good for protection, but a pain to replace.  Once again, we're unable to head east without an unplanned stop at a Lippert Service Center for hydraulic system repairs.  Of course we know there's stuff wrong with the trailer that we don't know about, too.  There's always at least five things wrong with the trailer.  That makes the sensor being one of them. We know of two maintenance items that need to be done.  Won't it be fun to find the others?  That's the adventure!

(As a side bar, yes, we have talked with families that have never had an issue with their RV or trailer.  I eventually reached the conclusion they just weren't yet aware of their problems.  What we typically see is someone in a brand new RV or trailer standing outside looking at their unit and scratching their heads.  When you talk to them their answer is this.  "Well, it worked at the dealer.  It worked in the driveway.  We can't figure out why it doesn't work now."  Or I read on a brand's forum & this is common on DRV's forum, "We just bought this (insert floor plan here) brand new from (insert name of dealer here) and I'm trying hard to like this trailer...")

This all just re-enforces my opinion that durability & reliability are not core values of the RV industry.  I'm at a loss for words about the wheels on 2017 to 2019 Ford F350 dual rear wheel trucks except to say the engineers knew better than to mix different metals (dissimilar metals that corrode) for the tire pressure monitoring system and alloy wheels.  That had to be a corporate decision.  I'm finding that lawsuits are already filed over it.  I prefer it be fixed.

So here we sit.  Wish us luck.  Until next week, David

Our last weekend at Voyageurs Natl Park

 

Our visit here for this season is just about over as this is our last weekend tabling at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.  We check out Tuesday. Turns out this was a great place to spend the pandemic.  We're fine.  Ready to go.  Anxious to see what happens next.

We head out to Bemidji Wednesday if all goes well.  Plan to be in Mitchell, SD by Sunday.  Driver's license renewal while there, then move slightly east to Sioux Falls. SD.  Plan to ride out Labor Day in Sioux Falls.  We have trailer service appointments late September in Indiana.  Spend a couple of weeks in Virginia visiting doctors.  Off to Alabama from there.  We'll see which governors change all that by evicting us from RV parks under the guise of "reducing" travel or due to our having South Dakota license plates.  We're aware (via RV forums) that New York state is canceling reservations for people that have South Dakota mailing addresses now.  Figure it's a matter of time before the rest of the east coast falls in line. 

Anyway, stay tuned.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us!  David

Weekly Update

 

Our time is getting short here.  Less than a couple of weeks to go for us.  We'll be heading west to Mitchell, SD to get our drivers licenses renewed when we leave here.  Once that's done, we plan to spend Labor Day weekend near Sioux Falls, SD.  We haven't looked into Sioux Falls too much, but understand its has nice bicycle paths.  We've never visited the falls, either.  Hope to get it all in while were there.  Hopefully, weather won't be too hot or stormy

Today's first two pictures are from the deck of Island View Resort.  We were out getting a hamburger Thursday.  Not a very busy place when we were there.  Good hamburger, onion rings and fried cheese curds.  That's our entertainment for the last couple of weeks.

Last picture is of our view of the front of Rainy Lake Visitor Center last Sunday.  We had a busy day that day.  81 people stopped by and asked questions. 

That pretty much gets you up to date with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week - when we're wrapping up our volunteer period here - David

   

Welcome to August

Welcome to the dog days of summer.  We, surprisingly, seem to be getting cooler.  Mid to high 70s are our predicted highs for the coming week.  Black flies, while not as intense, still "bug" us.

Time here is getting short.  This weekend - plus two more - and we've completed our volunteer season here at Voyageurs for this year.  Visitor centers remain closed though the park does try to have someone outside at least two of the visitor centers each weekend.  All campsites almost completely booked each day. (We're told a typical year would see around 40% reserved on any given day.) We've heard a couple of stories of people squatting on a campsite or walking away with a back-country key to a canoe & it's campsite without a reservation.  Works only until the "Visitor and Resource Protection" Rangers arrive.  (NPS version of law enforcement.)  So far no real issues once the rangers arrive. 

Our plans are to head west for a little bit once we're done here.  Previous plans to visit people we know in the mid-west are put on hold.  Current plans are to spend Labor Day around Sioux Falls, SD.  We've got our appointments to renew both our drivers license while we're in the area.  Slow trip to Lagrange, IN after that to have our trailer serviced.  That's the plan, anyway.

That pretty much gets you up to date with us.  Everyone on the east coast be safe.  Maybe you'll get a little cooler!  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David  

  

Weekly Update

We're fine.  Routine continues.  Roofing on the front of the visitor center is complete, so the above picture is our spot in front of the visitor center from 10-2 Saturday through Tuesday of each week.  

COVID-19 has spiked here in Koochiching County.  When we arrived in May there were 24 confirmed cases.  Held flat until after Memorial Day.  Now have 56 confirmed cases as of Saturday afternoon.  This resulted in most indoor dining to cease though we found Cantilever Distillery to have a sort of indoor/outdoor arrangement, and they serve pretty good food.  It's also a hotel, so something to consider if you're ever in International Falls, MN and need a spot to stay.

Like I said we're in a routine.  Not much to report other than our local buck is developing some mighty fine antlers.  We'll try to get a picture of him before we leave.  

Everyone be safe out there.  Until next week, David