*No matter how long since you’ve seen your college friend (45 yrs of so) you pick up right where you left off
*Cheese curds squeak when you eat them
*Small town farmer’s markets are great no matter where you are in the US
*Milwaukee has really great German food
*Enjoying great regional foods make a trip a cultural experience
*Having locals show you the town and give the history lifts the experience to a high point of travel
*Having a Camping World along the way makes for good shopping i.e.covers for windshield wipers, outdoor patio carpet, flying bug hot water vent cover…
*Learning which bay door has what behind it makes life easier
*Getting the coffee pods in just the right drawer makes for a better morning
*Shake down cruise has some end to it
*A step stool is an essential
*Local wines is a great way to take a little part of the world with you
*You can stay in most RV parks for 7 days at the 6 day cost - free night is always good
*Prattle originates from a low to medium German word
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Living in a Rectangle Lessons Learned
*the Texas State Fair is the best State Fair; Illinois was good but...
*Snicker bites are the best when eaten on the road
*Subway sandwiches taste exactly the same everywhere that is to say they have no real taste
*Not all RV parks have good water pressure so drip shower is more it
*Saving 5 cents a gallon with Pilot RV discount is a good thing
*Sweet corn from Michigan given to us by other RVers is great
*Dominos played by 2 is still fun
*Funnel cakes are pure sugary goodness
*A good tail wind can get you 8 miles to the gallon
*Six hours of driving and riding is plenty
*Loving who you are traveling with makes the travel perfect
More lessons soon
*Snicker bites are the best when eaten on the road
*Subway sandwiches taste exactly the same everywhere that is to say they have no real taste
*Not all RV parks have good water pressure so drip shower is more it
*Saving 5 cents a gallon with Pilot RV discount is a good thing
*Sweet corn from Michigan given to us by other RVers is great
*Dominos played by 2 is still fun
*Funnel cakes are pure sugary goodness
*A good tail wind can get you 8 miles to the gallon
*Six hours of driving and riding is plenty
*Loving who you are traveling with makes the travel perfect
More lessons soon
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Bio Break on Shake Down Road
It was a great park in Tulsa, OK and after the shakedown road a welcome retreat. We delt with what we thought was all the small things that shook loose and all was great. A day later I took my 4 mile walk and was feeling smug and self-satisfied when a gentleman says to me, “looks like you have break fluid coming from the back of your unit”. Really, this did not sound good so I immediately rushed in and told David what the man indicated which led us both to look at the undercarriage to find nothing coming from there but something did smell might sweet, like the magic pellets we put in the toilets to allow all that good bacteria to eat the bio waste. Yep, a very strong odor. Open the back bay where the back toilet tank sits..hmmm guess the whole plumbing unit should not be sitting in the middle of the bay in blue water and dissolving toilet paper.
Now for the good news: we had for some reason at the beginning of the trip said..lets only do liquid into the toilets not solid until we see how everything works and ensure the first dump of the tanks work…so at least it was only liquid bio, dissolving toilet paper with a lot of water and the blue stuff. We hosed down the bay (our version of dumping the tank) and put the plumbing back to gather as best we could with yes..DUCK TAPE. Duck tape comes to the rescue.
We are now using only the front toilet that in itself has issues with the unit not holding waster in the bowl to allow for better flushing but at least all the plumbing is in tact. We are sticking with our liquid only till we have it serviced at the factory on Wednesday.
I will tell you we laughed a lot as we delt with what every RVer hopes to never have to deal with, but some time or other we all do. We do believe that the grass there will be greener and grow better with the fertilizer we hosed in.
Now for the good news: we had for some reason at the beginning of the trip said..lets only do liquid into the toilets not solid until we see how everything works and ensure the first dump of the tanks work…so at least it was only liquid bio, dissolving toilet paper with a lot of water and the blue stuff. We hosed down the bay (our version of dumping the tank) and put the plumbing back to gather as best we could with yes..DUCK TAPE. Duck tape comes to the rescue.
We are now using only the front toilet that in itself has issues with the unit not holding waster in the bowl to allow for better flushing but at least all the plumbing is in tact. We are sticking with our liquid only till we have it serviced at the factory on Wednesday.
I will tell you we laughed a lot as we delt with what every RVer hopes to never have to deal with, but some time or other we all do. We do believe that the grass there will be greener and grow better with the fertilizer we hosed in.
 |
| Hope it holds for a while |
 |
| This should be "set into the floor of the bay, not sitting up on it |
 |
| We have this put back, not sure how it will hold |
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| Clean up, it has to happen |
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Vice Grips Never Disappoint
Living in a Rectangle: Lessons Learned
The shake down story continued..TV drama or comedy? I love technology and all the convince of getting what you want through those invisible air waves. I do wonder if when we are walking around and these things are flying through the air (i.e. internet, wifi, tv, radio, phones etc.) if they are just bouncing off me or going through me? oh well, not the story here, back to the TV.
All the shaking of The Rectangle on the Hwy 75 did unseen things discovered only when we went to use whatever, like the TV antenna. Now we have used that antenna on several occasions so we knew it worked just fine. You twist the handle to raise it and twist to lower, no big deal. The evening after the Hwy 75 washboard ride we were ready to raise the antenna and the mechanism seemed loose...and boom, the handle breaks off, a big spring flies across the room and the rod unit that goes into the ceiling falls off. Hmmm not so good BUT the rod from the antenna this all connected to was there. Light Bulb moment, what does one use to turn something that will hold onto it, of course we all know that answer if not duck tape then it must be a job for VICE GRIPS. Yes, the handy clamp it on and use it as the handle thingy that never disappoints. Our tool box of course has a couple of sizes of vice grips, one just right. We now have a very attractive vice grip hanging from the rod in our ceiling and the antenna goes up and down fine. Another thing for the fix it list when we get to for our appointment at the Newmar factory on the 19th. Shake down continues...But we are having a grand time and love to laugh about all the lessons we learn (sewer story soon).
The shake down story continued..TV drama or comedy? I love technology and all the convince of getting what you want through those invisible air waves. I do wonder if when we are walking around and these things are flying through the air (i.e. internet, wifi, tv, radio, phones etc.) if they are just bouncing off me or going through me? oh well, not the story here, back to the TV.
All the shaking of The Rectangle on the Hwy 75 did unseen things discovered only when we went to use whatever, like the TV antenna. Now we have used that antenna on several occasions so we knew it worked just fine. You twist the handle to raise it and twist to lower, no big deal. The evening after the Hwy 75 washboard ride we were ready to raise the antenna and the mechanism seemed loose...and boom, the handle breaks off, a big spring flies across the room and the rod unit that goes into the ceiling falls off. Hmmm not so good BUT the rod from the antenna this all connected to was there. Light Bulb moment, what does one use to turn something that will hold onto it, of course we all know that answer if not duck tape then it must be a job for VICE GRIPS. Yes, the handy clamp it on and use it as the handle thingy that never disappoints. Our tool box of course has a couple of sizes of vice grips, one just right. We now have a very attractive vice grip hanging from the rod in our ceiling and the antenna goes up and down fine. Another thing for the fix it list when we get to for our appointment at the Newmar factory on the 19th. Shake down continues...But we are having a grand time and love to laugh about all the lessons we learn (sewer story soon).
Monday, August 10, 2015
Shake and Rattle While Rolling
August 8, 2015
Living in a Rectangle: Lessons Learned
Our New Rectangle rolling down the road …All roads are not created equal and Hwy 75 is only equal to a washboard, to say we wanted a shake down trip is taking the shake down to a new level AND it was a shake down that lasted 3 hours or so; pans rattled so we put on our list to buy something to go between them while I threw them all on the coach and bed; coffee mugs rattled, so I got them separated; bottles in the fridge rattled so I moved them all around; liquor bottles rattled so I just drank them all/well not really but it was tempting as I was up and about trying to find all the rock rattles and rolls and it was like being a flight attendant on a turbulent flight. We made it to Tulsa and the main lesson learned is after fighting a road for that long one just wants dinner and a glass of wine and a quiet night. So much more to tell you…
Absolutely lovely sleep on our number bed (just like our’s at home so we knew our numbers) made it all good. Well there is the TV story but I will give that later.
Living in a Rectangle: Lessons Learned
Our New Rectangle rolling down the road …All roads are not created equal and Hwy 75 is only equal to a washboard, to say we wanted a shake down trip is taking the shake down to a new level AND it was a shake down that lasted 3 hours or so; pans rattled so we put on our list to buy something to go between them while I threw them all on the coach and bed; coffee mugs rattled, so I got them separated; bottles in the fridge rattled so I moved them all around; liquor bottles rattled so I just drank them all/well not really but it was tempting as I was up and about trying to find all the rock rattles and rolls and it was like being a flight attendant on a turbulent flight. We made it to Tulsa and the main lesson learned is after fighting a road for that long one just wants dinner and a glass of wine and a quiet night. So much more to tell you…
Absolutely lovely sleep on our number bed (just like our’s at home so we knew our numbers) made it all good. Well there is the TV story but I will give that later.
Friday, August 7, 2015
The New Rectangle Ready to Roll
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