Rocky Top!

Yes, there really is a Rock Top, Tennessee -- though it is buried in the Smokey Mountains and we didn't actually get there.  But we got close! Our journey from Gainesville to Tennessee was rainy rainy rainy, so we were glad to make it without incident to Sevierville, TN for the Escapees RV Rally.  This was a 5-day event with about 115 other RVs (some full-timers like us) that included lots of socializing, entertainment, a little education (there is always something to learn when you live in an RV), and lots of free time to explore the area.

Though an ongoing rain pattern continued to plague us, we had two really nice days -- one where we went to Dollywood in nearby Pigeon Forge and one where we explored Smokey Mountain National Park.  Needless to say, we needed a lot more than one day to do this National Park, but we at least got to drive/hike up to the big lookout at the top of Klingman's Dome (highest point in these mountains) and did the short walk to the Cataract Falls. We also saw some very dedicated Appalachian Trail hikers as it intersects with Clingman's Dome.

An incredibly (and unusual) clear day in the Smokey Mountains -- view from Clingman's Dome

We then moved Max to a small park near Knoxville.  Luckily weather was much nicer for this segment of our Tennessee tour and we ended up only taking one day to stay in Max, relax, and catch up on the laundry.  We also needed to rest our weary feet!  We started this area by driving east to see the Bush's Visitor Center (think beans, not Presidents).  It was a real kick learning about the history of this family-run company and  how it got its start in little Chestnut Hill, TN.  We got to taste test some of their products in their cute (and delicious) cafe, and then stocked up at their store.  We even got a picture with Duke, the family dog who keeps trying to sell the secret recipe for their beans.

Yes, Jeffrey weighs 149,760 "beans" (Maren wouldn't get on the scale)

Maren posing with Duke and Jay (plus "arrow" road-sign that just happens to be pointing to my head through the window)

Posing with Duke

Downtown Knoxville had a lot to offer too -- an Eastern TN History Museum (this side of TN has a fascinating Civil War history), a chocolate factory/store, an art museum, and what remains of the World's Fair Park from 1982. The grand attraction in this park is the Sunsphere, where you get a 360 degree view of the city.  Funny enough, we got quite a few "Go Gators!" greetings as we walked around town wearing Gator logos.

Downtown Knoxville as seen from the Museum of Art

Our final "out an about in the car" day in this area was a trip to nearby Oak Ridge, TN to see our nephew, Isaac, in a rowing meet.  His club had traveled over by bus from Raleigh, NC for a day of racing and his team of 4 won one of the heats.  It was a real kick to see him and hang out at the club tent with some of the parents that traveled over too.

Nephew Isaac in his 4-man rowing heat

Our next stop is Nashville and I'm sure our feet will get a workout there as well!

Remember the TV show "MacGyver"?

Normally I start a blog post talking about where we have traveled recently and put the "RV lessons learned" at the end.  However, this time I have to reverse this tradition in honor of a few recent RV mystery "successes".

If you recall, I ended our last post with returning to Max after a trip to Hawaii and getting him out of storage and off to Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, FL.  When Jeffrey was pulling him out of the storage bay, I could hear a strange flapping sound coming from our rear radiator area.  Everything was operating fine, so we drove him to the park and, after settling in, we dug out our "mirror on a stick" and "snake camera" tools. Space is tight back there, but Jeffrey wiggled in under the engine and worked and worked to get the camera positioned so that he could spot something unusual.  He could finally see letters that read "Winn Dixie, Purified Water"! Apparently we had sucked up one of those clear plastic water bottle labels and it had wedged itself at the top of the radiator fan. Thankfully we were able to dig it out ourselves.

The next surprise was a brief few instances of "hot electrical" smell in one of the bathrooms.  After a few days, it was suddenly a "burning plastic" smell, so the hunt for the cause became urgent.  The hunt was brief -- it was the electrical connections behind the hot water heater (that just happen to reside underneath that bathroom).  Wires were scorched and melted AGAIN (the first two times occurred over a year ago so we had hoped this issue was resolved).  Though we had paid professionals fix it before, we decided to try our hand at engineering a better solution that would bring us more peace of mind.  After replacing the melted parts, we completely rewired things in a way that hopefully made the connections safer (it sometimes pays to be two engineers).  What with finding all the parts we needed (thank you Home Depot, Camping World, and Radio Shack) and building our new electrical box, this little project spanned almost 4 days -- luckily we had the option of using the water heater with propane so we still had hot water.  As I write this, the new wiring is still working perfectly.

Our final mystery took the longest to diagnose. When we created a negative air pressure inside Max, the other bathroom got smelly.  This was easy to reproduce -- just have all the windows closed and open one of our ceiling vents with the fan on... or run the dryer... or drive down the road with the front windows open.  Unfortunately there were too many possible culprits.  As it seemed to come from under the sink (thankfully not the toilet) we initially thought a small animal (lizard, frog) had made a home in one of the piping chases and then died.  Maybe we'd get lucky and it would stop on its own soon.  No such luck. I then did some investigation on the RV forums we follow and we tried replacing something called a vent cap.  Though it was an improved model from what we had, the smell didn't go away then either.  That left just one possibility -- a recently replaced vacuum breaker under the sink that is used when we operate the high-pressure black flush system when we dump our tanks.  Turns out it was the wrong part for this application and black tank odors were getting sucked back up through this valve.  We researched and found the right one, were lucky to find it just down the road in Ocala, FL, and replaced it ourselves.  Voila!  Smell gone.

Hey, we are getting good at this RV fix-it stuff! I knock on wood as I tell you that we are back to not having ANYTHING on the list that we need a professional to fix :-) This is actually pretty rare.  We celebrated by catching a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to enjoy a week at our Grand Mayan timeshare with my parents.  We had lovely weather and were so laid back we forgot to take any pictures, so this blog post is text only :-(

Anyhow, having finished our travels around Florida for this winter season, here we sit at the end of March near Gainesville, FL spending some quality time with Jeffrey's parents and enjoying the last few weeks before we head to points north. We decided to lag a little here so we can see the Orange & Blue Debut Gator spring football game for the first time. The day after we hit the road to attend an "Escapee" RV rally in Sevierville, TN and then will tour Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga.  Memphis will have to wait until another trip.

I promise my next post will be much more "RV Travel" exciting!

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Getting away from getting away

It always feels a little strange going on a vacation "away" from the motorhome. When we owned a "bricks and sticks" house we certainly didn't need to worry about where it would stay while we were gone.  We also didn't need to think so hard about what airport we'd be flying out of!

We just returned from one of these vacations with my parents -- to the very lovely Hawaiian islands of Maui and the "Big Island" of Hawaii itself.  Max remained behind in Tampa, plugged in and tucked into a nice covered RV storage unit, so we didn't need to worry about him this time.  We even left Jeffrey's expensive allergy serum in the fridge of the storage owner so there was a smaller risk of it being damaged -- you never know when your RV refridgerator will fail.  We were also able to position our "mobile" Tailgator satellite dish so that we could still DVR our favorite shows. BONUS!

Before we left we also managed to meet up with some friends at the annual Tampa RV Supershow.  Thankfully we aren't looking to replace Max, but this show is a great place to get our BlueOx tow hitch serviced (what we tow the car with) as well as look at the many many vendors selling RV supplies.  We managed to escape with just a few new "My Pillow"s, a cleaner/wax product to try on Max's painted fiberglass exterior walls, new microfiber pads, and a huge pile of brochures for states and parks we want to visit.

New purchases stowed, there was nothing left to do except get on the plane to Hawaii.  It would have been even better if we'd been in a really cold climate to begin with, but alas, Florida was pretty nice when we left it.  For my parents, it was another story since their home is Washington State!  We had a fantastic time whale, dolphin, and surf watching and even ventured up Mauna Kea (at over 13,700 feet where there was still snow) to watch the sun set over the clouds.  We also enjoyed a few snorkel trips, where we'd like to think we saw the state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. In any case, we got to see and snorkel at Kealakekua Bay where Captain Cook was killed -- unfortunate history for such a beautiful place.

Jeffrey on cliff over north shore of Maui

Iao Valley State Park in Maui

Captain Cook's memorial at Kealakekua Bay

The view from the top of Mauna Kea at sunset

The whale watching was especially good -- this is the time of year when the humpbacks are having their babies and being courted by the males, so we saw lots of breaching, tail slapping, and rolling.  One mother whale even brought her calf near the snorkeling tour boat we were on and it rolled sideways so an eye could look up at us.  I can only imagine what she was telling it: "See these creatures floating on top of the sea?  Steer clear of them!".

Wanting to pull our weight, we also used the time to help my parents set up their new laptops.  This is their first time using Windows 8, so being able to sit together and talk through the changes is much easier than doing it long distance.  We even managed to learn a few new things ourselves as we tried to set things up the way they liked.

Once back in Florida, we unpacked Max from his storage spot and drove him an hour up the road to Lake Louisa State Park.  Thankfully we didn't have a busy week ahead which gave us time to adjust back to the eastern time zone. We were also happily surprised to have some new-fulltimer RV friends overlap us for part of our stay at this park, giving us a chance to ogle their new rig and enjoy their great company.  We also got a chance to connect one last time (this year) with friends and family we have in the area.

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Oops! Where did December go?

Jeffrey gently reminded me this morning that I haven't updated this blog since November.  What?  Where did December go?  It blew by so fast that I lost track of time and suddenly it is 2015!

We started December with our annual visit to Lazydays -- our preferred service facility to get non-chassis items fixed or serviced.  Like a house, there always seems to be a (hopefully short) list of "fix it" items. For us this time, it was just replacing a dripping vacuum valve under a sink and swapping out a seal in a roof A/C unit.  We also had them do some general maintenance items that we don't like to do ourselves -- replacing sealant along the roof and window edges in a few places plus a general "jack & slide" service.  In hindsight, this last item resulted in slide seal lubricant getting all over our newly waxed areas, so I have already decided I will do this part myself next time and hopefully be a little more careful about where it goes!

While at Lazydays, we got to catch up with another full-time RV couple we met there 2 years ago, the Zingers!  We always enjoy each other's company and had several overlapping service days to visit and share this past year's adventures. We also got to connect with my uncle/aunt/cousin families in St. Petersburg, one of Jeffrey's cousins from Valrico, plus do quick visits to Costco and Trader Joes before settling in an hour northeast at Lake Louisa State Park for 10 days.

This State Park is in Clermont and wonderfully secluded -- a perfect rest stop before the holiday activities kicked in.  We even pulled out the bikes and gas grill from the "basement" and gave them both some exercise. We also visited with more of Jeffrey's extended family in the Orlando area and even saw a cousin's 12 year-old daughter perform in a team "cheer" competition.  All I can say is WOW -- just amazing to see these talented kids tumble, flip, and toss each other around at lightening speed.  Her team even won first place!

Us with Jeffrey's "first cousin once removed", Jessica

Our next stop was across the state in Hobe Sound -- Jonathan Dickinson State Park.  This continues to be one of our favorite destinations, not only because it is located near more of my family, but also because it is lovely and well configured for a rig like ours (fewer trees, full hookups and big RV pads).  Within a day of plugging in, we jumped on a plane to Raleigh for a 60th wedding anniversary celebration for Jeffrey's parents. Minus some difficulty with flights back to Florida, it was really wonderful spending the Christmas holiday with such a big chunk of family.

Jeffrey's parents, Jack and Evelyn Martin

Us with nephews Karl & Isaac plus niece Anna

Once we got back to Florida, we enjoyed visits with my family there with the few days we had left before once again having to leave to traverse over to Clermont. While we love the state parks, we don't like that there is a 14-day limit on them.  That said, the price and convenience are very nice indeed!  Too bad we aren't Florida residents anymore or it would be cheaper.

As I write this, we have less than a week left before we take Max to a storage unit near Tampa where he will sleep while we fly to spend 2 weeks in Hawaii with my Dad and Sheila.  We are hoping to see whales there as this is the time they visit the islands.

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Winter is threatening central Texas -- time to leave!

We have wrapped up our annual visit to Texas and our trek across the gulf states to Florida so we can celebrate Thanksgiving with Jeffrey's parents. This is one of the few journeys that we make quickly -- driving every day and staying in a different park every night.  Our 3-year chassis warranty is due to expire soon, so we tempted fate by trying to also squeeze in Max's annual service along the way (normal oil changes, etc) at a place that was recommended in Louisiana.  The bad news is they found a small issue and didn't have the part they needed to fix it.  The good news is the warranty covered it.  The bad news is that we were delayed an extra day waiting for the part. The good news is that we got some experience camping with no hookups ("boondocking") in their parking lot.  Hey, even WE can make lemonade out of lemons!

Anyhow, this extra adventure made for 2 very long driving days to make up the time so we could still get to Florida on schedule. The sore butts didn't stop us from enjoying time with one of Jeffrey's 4 older brothers/sister-in-law (John & Susan) in Pensacola plus a fun lunch connecting with 2 other full-time RV couples we met last January. The conversation is what you'd imagine -- cool places and parks visited, issues with the rigs, lifestyle "lessons learned", plus plans to try to intersect again soon. It was hard to part ways again :-(

Our next stop was a week in Gainesville visiting Jeffrey's parents for Thanksgiving (and enjoying a few "live" Gator sporting events on campus), and we have now settled in for a week at Lazydays in Tampa.  Today Max is getting a much-needed wash and hand wax plus having his aluminum wheels polished.  For a rig that is 41 feet long and almost 13 feet tall, these are efforts that we are more than happy to pay somebody else to do!  Tomorrow we report for our "service" appointment and, thankfully, the "fix it" list is very short this year -- just a few minor items that we don't want to tackle ourselves. We have RV friends who are also here having some items worked on, so this gives us a chance to visit with them too.

Since I don't have any RV travel pictures to post yet, below are some good shots taken of us during a cruise we took in October.  We left Max in Texas and flew out to California for a cruise that visited Los Angeles, San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, plus a few other lovely quaint Mexican towns.

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Kicking off the "Fall Plan"

I'd love to say things have slowed down a bit now that we are back near Austin TX for the fall, but so far that isn't true!  We arrived back with just a few days to rest and pack up before leaving Max and flying to Washington State to visit my parents. We have learned that August in Texas is a great time to go somewhere cooler and they have graciously given us a perfect destination.  That said, the NW was having its own version of a heat wave, but to us "high 80s" is not a big deal when it is over 100 at home!

We spent most of our visit enjoying their WorldMark location near Bend, Oregon with my parents and aunt Pat.  Her middle name is Maren, so we are kindred spirits :-) Bend was a real surprise as it was a combination of lush and desert conditions, with dormant volcanic activity very close by.  One of our favorite day trips was to Crater Lake National Park.  I used my new cell phone camera to get some fantastic pictures of this place.

Closer to Bend, we checked out a candy factory (and boy were the samples delicious!), the quaint downtown area, the Old Mills district, and nearby High Desert Museum.  We also got out to the Observatory in Sunriver and, thanks to a moonless evening, got some great views of the night sky through an impressive set of telescopes.

Barn Owl at High Desert Museum

His otter neighbor

On the drive back to my parent's home in Burlington, WA, we passed a privately-built version of Stonehenge in Maryhill, Oregon. Needless to say, it is a bit more complete than the real one.  The owner had dedicated it to the area's war veterans and it was quite impressive.

As we were heading back to the airport to fly home, we took an amazing tour of the Chihuly museum near the Seattle space needle. Truly amazing what that man does with glass.  I felt like every picture I took was good enough to be a postcard.

Now that we are back at our RV park "home" in Georgetown TX for the fall, life will be our fall season routine of Gator football game parties, annual visits to our doctors, trying to connect with all of our local friends, weekly "attempts" at playing golf, and getting our fill of our favorite local Tex-Mex and BBQ. This is all very exciting for us, but probably a bit dull for our blog readers, so unless something unexpected happens, we'll give you all a break for a few months! Enjoy the fall!

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The Mad Dash South

Our departure from Forest City, IA, was delayed a few days while we waited to receive a package that got mis-routed. This was actually good news as we got to have a few relaxing days hanging out with some wonderful RV friends PLUS we got to witness RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa).  This week-long event stopped over in Forest City for a night and it was amazing to see these 10,000 riders -- along with the party and tent city that accompanied them.

We finally trailed the riders out of town and made our way to Springfield, IL -- our first stop on the "homeward bound" path back to Georgetown TX.  We had decided to pick a path back that would swing us by a number of Presidential Museums and Lincoln's was only a short swing east.  Unlike the other Presidential museums we'd seen, this one was not sponsored/advertised on the U.S. government website. Only later did we realize that there are others like this and we had missed a few along our travels already. Sigh.  Anyhow, the state of Illinois has done a fantastic job with preserving "all things Lincoln" in the area and, like the other Presidential Museums we've seen, it was a real treat.

Jeffrey posing with the Lincoln family

Our next target was the Harry S. Truman museum in Kansas City, Missouri, but there was no reason to skip over St. Louis along the way.  Though we only stopped for a day, we were able to venture atop the Gateway Arch as well as tour the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.  While the enormous beer production operation is impressive, the Clydesdale horses were even more so.  There were only a few on site, but they were equally marvelous and GIGANTIC.

A regal Clydesdale at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery

Atop the St. Louis Gateway Arch

No surprise that the Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum near Kansas City, Missouri, was as fascinating as the others.  With 3 full days in town, we thought we'd have plenty of time to see everything else in the area, including the daughter of dear neighbors we knew in Texas, but how wrong we were.  It took us more than a day just to see the WWI Museum and we barely squeezed in the King Tut exhibit at Union Station and a quick pass through the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve. Whew! We will just have to come back here (we find ourselves saying that about almost every city we visit!)

Tower at the WWI Museum

Reproduction at the King Tut exhibit

With temperatures rising as we drove further south, our next stop in Fayetteville, Arkansas, became another "darn we need more time" stopover.  In addition to visiting with a High School friend of Jeffrey's, we swung through the Wal-mart Museum (especially enjoying the "Walton 5 and 10" shop with 1970's ice cream prices), a wonderful walk through the University of Arkansas (much hillier than we expected), and the Crystal Bridges Museum (an impressive collection of art and architecture from many eras).  We regret we didn't have time to enjoy walking the 3 miles of lovely trails around it.  Our final touristy stop was the Clinton Presidential Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. Bonus in that there was a special Chihuly glass exhibit there too.

At this point we needed to get serious about getting back into Texas, which coincidentally lines up with the "life in an RV" segment of this blog post. No sooner had we left an overnight stop in Mt. Pleasant that we experienced a "high coolant temp" fault on Max.  Funny enough, this exact same thing happened when we arrived in Texas a year ago.  Restarting the engine after a few minutes was enough to kick the big cooling fan in the radiator to start turning again.

With our "chassis" still under warranty for a few more months, we decided that a 2nd occurrence of this problem needed a formal check-up, so we diverted to a Freightliner service center in Tyler.  Out came the computer and they confirmed something went briefly wrong, but they didn't have the parts to replace a "clutch fan assembly".  A stop at the Waco facility as we continued south the next day also came up dry on the parts, so we continued on to our fall season home in Georgetown TX -- watching the engine temp like a hawk and having nothing further go wrong. Once we get settled in, we'll do a day trip up to Temple and get Freightliner to address this so we don't have to worry again.

We have already been welcomed by RV neighbors on both sides of us so it looks like we'll make some new friends this year :-)  That said, we have already connected with some of our Austin-area friends and it is so great to catch up with everyone!

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