Today we finished the repairs at LazyDays. They did a great job of fixing everything they could. I say "could" because we have some drawers that have come open during hard turns. The problem is one of loading. We had a lot of heavy items in the drawers and the weight would force open any conceivable furniture style latch. I'll rig other methods to ensure closure, like draw bars and bungees. I especially appreciated the re-alignment of the toilet. The toilet was "aimed" towards the sink cabinet. Ever sat sideways on one?
The new steps are perfect and once again a zero bill!
Thousand Trails is a pre-paid campground membership company. It works similarly to a time-share, but there's no "deed" or weeks involved. LazyDays paid the initiation fee of over $6400 for ten years and we just have to pay the annual dues of $500. Of course they had a "Sale" and we only paid $399. We were skeptical of the details, today I called the reservation number and made a two-night reservation in Orlando. No problem and no bill.
This is the real RV scene. I'm next to a full-timer and his wife that move between parks every two weeks. The wife works two days a week for Disney. Their net expense for rent/mortgage/preoperty taxes on land, etc. equals zero. And it never snows. Now this place is divided into short-term and long-term residents. If you don't ever want to move, you can stay forever for $5700/year. The style of landscaping is straight out of playing house when you were a kid. Makes pink plastic flamingoes look sophisticated. Lots of rope lights spelling out your name, that kind of stuff. And that's the fun! Folks from all over, who've already done all the adult, responsible stuff. Make enough to afford a really nice motorhome and just decided to move to Florida and stay. The guy next door moved down 10 years ago, sold the house 5 years ago and isn't looking back. Micky and I have no need to sell off the home to finance the lifestyle, but we may be gone for long periods.
What we've found is the necessity to make and keep medical appointments are what limit the time away on the road. So we're going to be more careful about when we make the appointments. Cluster them all. That way we'll only have to be home two or three times a year.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Towing
Today we left the Coxes towing the Prius for the first time. If you didn't see it in the rear camera, you wouldn't know we were towing. Acceleration and braking were exactly as before. The lighting harness was a little short and ended up being tight. Sure enough, pulled the plug out, ripped the plug right off the wires.
Stopped for first fillup at the Pilot truck stop in Fort Myers. What a PITA! If you paid for diesel with a credit card you could only pre-pay. That meant guessing how much fuel you needed. Micky guessed first and signed up for $100.00 @ $2.99/gal. That put in around 32 gallons, but the tank wasn't filled. Next we guessed $75.00 but only got $18.15 in. Now we get to go back inside and wait in line for the refund. I'm avoiding Pilot, if that's their policy. I want pay at the pump just like filling up a car!
Found a great coffee table at Camping World! the top is on a spring and hinge assembly and raises up around 18 inches to give you a really usefull work surface.
Rolled into LazyDays Rally park and was assigned site 100 for my first back-in at night. The guy across the street made it hard by parking his monster pickup in the street. Shortly word was out that I was a new guy doing it for the first time. that truck got moved without me even asking! Dinner at Cracker Barrel and a dip in the pool and hot tub made for an early evening. More later.
Stopped for first fillup at the Pilot truck stop in Fort Myers. What a PITA! If you paid for diesel with a credit card you could only pre-pay. That meant guessing how much fuel you needed. Micky guessed first and signed up for $100.00 @ $2.99/gal. That put in around 32 gallons, but the tank wasn't filled. Next we guessed $75.00 but only got $18.15 in. Now we get to go back inside and wait in line for the refund. I'm avoiding Pilot, if that's their policy. I want pay at the pump just like filling up a car!
Found a great coffee table at Camping World! the top is on a spring and hinge assembly and raises up around 18 inches to give you a really usefull work surface.
Rolled into LazyDays Rally park and was assigned site 100 for my first back-in at night. The guy across the street made it hard by parking his monster pickup in the street. Shortly word was out that I was a new guy doing it for the first time. that truck got moved without me even asking! Dinner at Cracker Barrel and a dip in the pool and hot tub made for an early evening. More later.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Last night in Naples, Supper on the Beach
Tomorrow we're rolling up I-75 to Lazy Days for the electric step installation and completion of a few items we discovered on the "shakedown" cruise. Nothing major, just some lights out. They're hosting us at the Rally Park overnight. A really class act!
We hate to leave our friends behind. Phil and Gayle Cox have been the perfect hosts. Tonight we capped the visit off with a picnic on the beach. Naples has a world-class beach right in downtown. We sat and watched the sun go down while the airplanes flew the approach into Naples Muni. Beautiful towering thunderheads out in the Gulf and a really pretty city. Phil and Gayle enjoy living here, but haven't been able to make the all-encompassing friendships they made in Augusta. They've got some land out in Appling and are looking forward to retirement near the Lake. And we're looking forward to having them home.
The problem with Naples is money. Way too much of it. The seasonal residents are conspicuous consumers on the grand scale. On the way back from the beach we passed an entire city block lined with Ferraris. This weekend there is a car show for Ferraris. The two Bentleys on the block looked like ugly taxicabs next to all the low-slung Italian testosterone on that street. Then we passed the Aston-Martin dealership. Like I said way too much money! An inordinate amount of it in the hands of the nouveau-riche from New Jersey and Canada. The economy doesn't look too bad from this vantage point. The problem is the entitlement attitude that goes along with it. And they really look down on the full-time residents. Poor working stiffs like Phil, even though he make a very good living and lives an upscale life in the 'burbs, are beyond the pale for these people. So even though Phil and Gayle have the charm of new puppies, friendships are inpossible. Gayle has made a few friends through her Sweet Adelines choral group and Phil is involved with his church, but still, genuine open friendships like our group in Augusta are worth moving back.
We hate to leave them, but we're planning to see them over the Xmas holidays at the Lake.
I'm excited about the driving tomorrow. First time with the tow behind us and the first fillup at a truck stop. We're also visiting Shell world for Micky to stock up on little shells for a decorating project and another trip to Camping World in Ft. Myers to finish off the little bit of outfitting this coach needed. It feels funny not to have a to-do list of major modifications and upgrades. The only things I want are a tire pressure monitoring system and a curtain track to enable us to close off the back of the coach while driving. The dash air conditioner can't pull the heat load when the sun hits the expansive picture window up front.
Today I had the opportunity to carefully examine the wiring. This is the closest thing to aircraft wiring I've ever seen. No spaghetti bundles. I operned the forward junction box and was very happy! A large well laid out, marked printed circuit board with around 50 fuses and relays feeding well-marked molex-style plugs branching out to the various user circuits. All the bundles tied and loomed. And white wire with the wire function printed the length of the run. Beautiful to the eyes of a retired corporate aircraft modifications chief like me. I'm going to contaact Monaco and pay them for the wiring diagrams. I know they ahve them at all the service centers, but I want to be able to install my amateur radio rigs and other toys. I paid $400 for the set for the Prius and haven't regretted having them.
Yesterday, I was overjoyed to find that the only "major" cosmetic problem with the coach was easy to fix. The last owner had backed into something and left a large grey mark on the right rear corner of the body about a foot long with some scratches in the clear coat. Underneath the 7-way trailer connector had been involved with something and was bent. A little hammer work straightened that out. The marks on the rear lokked bad. I thought I'd have to have the area re-sprayed and in deep metallic paints, it never looks right. The problem is the spray angle and the way the metal flakes settle in the paint never matches. On a hunch I started rubbing the area with Turtle wax and the smear started coming out! I borrowed some 3M One-Step from Phil and worked it with a soft terry cloth. Got all of it off! And the clear coat was untouched except for microscopic scratches. It looks new again! Now the whole coach looks like it was just delivered. I don't know how the coach got 12,891 miles on it before I bought it, but we can't find any evidence of use. every appliance and fitting looks and smells new. And underneath the coach looks like it has never splashed through a mud puddle! An amazing buy! I plan on keeping it looking this way.
More3 after we get to Lazy Days tomorrow.
We hate to leave our friends behind. Phil and Gayle Cox have been the perfect hosts. Tonight we capped the visit off with a picnic on the beach. Naples has a world-class beach right in downtown. We sat and watched the sun go down while the airplanes flew the approach into Naples Muni. Beautiful towering thunderheads out in the Gulf and a really pretty city. Phil and Gayle enjoy living here, but haven't been able to make the all-encompassing friendships they made in Augusta. They've got some land out in Appling and are looking forward to retirement near the Lake. And we're looking forward to having them home.
The problem with Naples is money. Way too much of it. The seasonal residents are conspicuous consumers on the grand scale. On the way back from the beach we passed an entire city block lined with Ferraris. This weekend there is a car show for Ferraris. The two Bentleys on the block looked like ugly taxicabs next to all the low-slung Italian testosterone on that street. Then we passed the Aston-Martin dealership. Like I said way too much money! An inordinate amount of it in the hands of the nouveau-riche from New Jersey and Canada. The economy doesn't look too bad from this vantage point. The problem is the entitlement attitude that goes along with it. And they really look down on the full-time residents. Poor working stiffs like Phil, even though he make a very good living and lives an upscale life in the 'burbs, are beyond the pale for these people. So even though Phil and Gayle have the charm of new puppies, friendships are inpossible. Gayle has made a few friends through her Sweet Adelines choral group and Phil is involved with his church, but still, genuine open friendships like our group in Augusta are worth moving back.
We hate to leave them, but we're planning to see them over the Xmas holidays at the Lake.
I'm excited about the driving tomorrow. First time with the tow behind us and the first fillup at a truck stop. We're also visiting Shell world for Micky to stock up on little shells for a decorating project and another trip to Camping World in Ft. Myers to finish off the little bit of outfitting this coach needed. It feels funny not to have a to-do list of major modifications and upgrades. The only things I want are a tire pressure monitoring system and a curtain track to enable us to close off the back of the coach while driving. The dash air conditioner can't pull the heat load when the sun hits the expansive picture window up front.
Today I had the opportunity to carefully examine the wiring. This is the closest thing to aircraft wiring I've ever seen. No spaghetti bundles. I operned the forward junction box and was very happy! A large well laid out, marked printed circuit board with around 50 fuses and relays feeding well-marked molex-style plugs branching out to the various user circuits. All the bundles tied and loomed. And white wire with the wire function printed the length of the run. Beautiful to the eyes of a retired corporate aircraft modifications chief like me. I'm going to contaact Monaco and pay them for the wiring diagrams. I know they ahve them at all the service centers, but I want to be able to install my amateur radio rigs and other toys. I paid $400 for the set for the Prius and haven't regretted having them.
Yesterday, I was overjoyed to find that the only "major" cosmetic problem with the coach was easy to fix. The last owner had backed into something and left a large grey mark on the right rear corner of the body about a foot long with some scratches in the clear coat. Underneath the 7-way trailer connector had been involved with something and was bent. A little hammer work straightened that out. The marks on the rear lokked bad. I thought I'd have to have the area re-sprayed and in deep metallic paints, it never looks right. The problem is the spray angle and the way the metal flakes settle in the paint never matches. On a hunch I started rubbing the area with Turtle wax and the smear started coming out! I borrowed some 3M One-Step from Phil and worked it with a soft terry cloth. Got all of it off! And the clear coat was untouched except for microscopic scratches. It looks new again! Now the whole coach looks like it was just delivered. I don't know how the coach got 12,891 miles on it before I bought it, but we can't find any evidence of use. every appliance and fitting looks and smells new. And underneath the coach looks like it has never splashed through a mud puddle! An amazing buy! I plan on keeping it looking this way.
More3 after we get to Lazy Days tomorrow.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Packing it in!
Today i unloaded all my stuff from Phil's garage and began loading up the basement of the Neptune. We have more storage room than we've ever had, but it's still not enough! The big difference is that we NONE of it on the floor or bed! Of course, even though I'd pulled everything out and staged it on the driveway, I forgot the "blue boy" sewer tank! Now I have to unload a bit and get it into the basement. Might have to bring a little into the house and store it under the bed or put it into the PRIUS. A lot of the stuff is going home to stay there! It's redunant and not needed in this motorhome.
I wiped down the exterior the stainless steel wheels. I need to clean up the tailpipe and get the burned oil off.
While Micky was doing the laundry I had to run the genset to cool the unit, but that's an easy thing to do! More later!
I wiped down the exterior the stainless steel wheels. I need to clean up the tailpipe and get the burned oil off.
While Micky was doing the laundry I had to run the genset to cool the unit, but that's an easy thing to do! More later!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
First Drive!
We took delivery of the Neptune yesterday and drove down to Naples to the Coxes. What a great driving experience! But before I get to that I need to let you know about the 88 Presidential. It sold in less than an hour after it hit the market! Everybody who saw it at LazyDays was abuzz about what a cream puff low-mileage motorhome it was. a relative of one of the service techs snapped it up from David Jones. I was always very proud of the work I did fixing it up and making it road-worthy. The night we did the final changeover, Micky and I took a couple of hours scrubbing down and wiping down the interior to make sure the new owners didn't have to clean it up. And I wrote a six-page letter to the new owners telling then all the stuff we did and how to operate the camera system,charging system and all that. And I gave them contact information in case they had any further questions. It worked. While we were waiting for the Neptune to have the punchlist finished, they rolled the 88 up nose on to deliver it to the new folks. Dana Smith, our delivery coordinator, also worked that one and remarked that it was odd that the new owners didn't even want them to clean it!
LazyDays fixed all the things we found on the walk-around that morning and delivered on-time at 2 PM. When the time came to leave, Dana called me and said it's ready and you can leave. There was none of the ususal visiting the cashier to sign a workorder or anything. No bill, not even for incidentals. Just thanks for buying it!
Friday afternoon Micky and I took the RV Confidence Course from Barney Alexander along with 7 other folks. That was a great course. Barney has developed a series of small dot markers that are placed on the windshield, side mirrors, backup monitor and the driver's side of the RV that enable the driver and the ground guide (wing walker) to accurately put the RV in your lane and back into a spot. After the great classroom session, they took us over to the Rally Park and we boarded a 40-foot Winnebago Class A and drove around the park in very tight quarters.
I really enjoyed seeing wives that were always relegated to copilots and scared to death of the size and width of the RV's wheeling that huge Winnie around with confidence. One of the hardest parts is the tendency to start turning too soon, because you can't see 13-20 feet in front of the motorhome. So you measure off the distance of the blind spot in front and at the spot where you lose sight, you place a little green dot on the windshield centered in front of the driver. Then when you come to a sharp turn, you drive forward until that dot touches the curb before you start turning. That keeps both fron and rear of the RV in your lane and you don't take the nose off on-coming traffic. The other main trick is driving forward until your hips are aligned with the line you want your front wheels to take and then turning hard on a turn. That keeps the back wheels and the rear of the unit in your lane and clears the right curb or other parked vehicles with no fear. Two red dots on the mirror show the point on the ground where the back wheel are aligned and two feet out. Make the dot clear and the RV clears. Backing in re3quires a dot 8 feet forward of the back wheel centers and a little trick with the wing walker wiggling her fingers at her shoulder. All up the system works exremely well. Add in bluetooth phones and speakerphones and you've gor communications and no yelling.
Until I got to Naples and had to back down the Coxes narrow, tree-lined winding driveway to get in here. Unfortunately Micky had help. Phill had the back of the unit and saw where the back was going, couldn't see the right front. I got Micky to watch the front and avoided several expensive crunches with the mirrors and awnings.
Power from a residence for a 50-amp RV is a real problem. After trying several combinations of extension cords and 15-amp receptacles and popping a breaker, I opted for running the genset overnight to cool the unit down. Today, I drove to Fort Myers and the Camping world for a very expensive 50-amp 30-foot extension. Most homes with an electric dryer have a 220-volt 50-amp receptacle already built in!
I snaked that 1.5 inch cable out the back door to my auto transformer/surge protector and the unit plugged into it! Perfect! Conditioned safe power with no damage to the RV or the house!
We went to the huge Costco (don't have one in Augusta) and were amazed! Loaded up with good stuff. Gayle is having too much fun geocaching with the GeoMate Jr. that I surprised her with. Found one on the way and then she and Micky looked for a few more. Phil is a great cook and did a wonderful job with smoked salmon tonight.
This has been the most fun and exciting trip, ever, for both of us. Now it's time to go to bed and spend tomorow loading and organizing the unit for the trip back to Tampa to get the new steps installed. Then we'll drive around North Florida like gypsies for a while before heading home. More later.
LazyDays fixed all the things we found on the walk-around that morning and delivered on-time at 2 PM. When the time came to leave, Dana called me and said it's ready and you can leave. There was none of the ususal visiting the cashier to sign a workorder or anything. No bill, not even for incidentals. Just thanks for buying it!
Friday afternoon Micky and I took the RV Confidence Course from Barney Alexander along with 7 other folks. That was a great course. Barney has developed a series of small dot markers that are placed on the windshield, side mirrors, backup monitor and the driver's side of the RV that enable the driver and the ground guide (wing walker) to accurately put the RV in your lane and back into a spot. After the great classroom session, they took us over to the Rally Park and we boarded a 40-foot Winnebago Class A and drove around the park in very tight quarters.
I really enjoyed seeing wives that were always relegated to copilots and scared to death of the size and width of the RV's wheeling that huge Winnie around with confidence. One of the hardest parts is the tendency to start turning too soon, because you can't see 13-20 feet in front of the motorhome. So you measure off the distance of the blind spot in front and at the spot where you lose sight, you place a little green dot on the windshield centered in front of the driver. Then when you come to a sharp turn, you drive forward until that dot touches the curb before you start turning. That keeps both fron and rear of the RV in your lane and you don't take the nose off on-coming traffic. The other main trick is driving forward until your hips are aligned with the line you want your front wheels to take and then turning hard on a turn. That keeps the back wheels and the rear of the unit in your lane and clears the right curb or other parked vehicles with no fear. Two red dots on the mirror show the point on the ground where the back wheel are aligned and two feet out. Make the dot clear and the RV clears. Backing in re3quires a dot 8 feet forward of the back wheel centers and a little trick with the wing walker wiggling her fingers at her shoulder. All up the system works exremely well. Add in bluetooth phones and speakerphones and you've gor communications and no yelling.
Until I got to Naples and had to back down the Coxes narrow, tree-lined winding driveway to get in here. Unfortunately Micky had help. Phill had the back of the unit and saw where the back was going, couldn't see the right front. I got Micky to watch the front and avoided several expensive crunches with the mirrors and awnings.
Power from a residence for a 50-amp RV is a real problem. After trying several combinations of extension cords and 15-amp receptacles and popping a breaker, I opted for running the genset overnight to cool the unit down. Today, I drove to Fort Myers and the Camping world for a very expensive 50-amp 30-foot extension. Most homes with an electric dryer have a 220-volt 50-amp receptacle already built in!
I snaked that 1.5 inch cable out the back door to my auto transformer/surge protector and the unit plugged into it! Perfect! Conditioned safe power with no damage to the RV or the house!
We went to the huge Costco (don't have one in Augusta) and were amazed! Loaded up with good stuff. Gayle is having too much fun geocaching with the GeoMate Jr. that I surprised her with. Found one on the way and then she and Micky looked for a few more. Phil is a great cook and did a wonderful job with smoked salmon tonight.
This has been the most fun and exciting trip, ever, for both of us. Now it's time to go to bed and spend tomorow loading and organizing the unit for the trip back to Tampa to get the new steps installed. Then we'll drive around North Florida like gypsies for a while before heading home. More later.
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