"And The Minnow Would Be Lost" - Ship/Boat Wreck Washed Ashore On Pensacola Beach

This came ashore about a week ago. No word on the circumstance, and no visible markings on her hull. A ghost ship?  Perhaps.

Seventy Five And Sunny - Need I Say More?

Well today I woke to a brilliant sun showing in a cloudless sky. This my friends is why I wanted an RV.  We plan an afternoon at the beach. Sadly our days in Florida will end a week from this coming Monday.

But for now, I am enjoying this immensely.

No pictures yet this morning but this one was taken yesterday in a sunless sky at 50*.  Somehow it still conveys the serenity and awesome power of the ocean.

And yesterday in 76* weather 

Enjoying Life At The Beach - Wandering "Toes In The Water, Ass In The Sand" - Ain't Life Grand!

We've been adjusting to life in the RV. Living on the road comes with learning to relax into it and doing things our way, on our schedule.

Life is different when you are in a new location. It's sort of like moving someplace permanently but not really.  It's sort of a "gotcha" moment.  When you reside someplace permanently you want to learn about the place, the things it offers, the best and most affordable restaurants, cool things to do and about the people that live there.  But when you are a nomad (we're nomad interns) you know you are going to eventually move on at some point.  When you realize this you find yourself (maybe just I do this?) not wanting the whole story because you want to leave something to discover for the next time you are in that location.

You end up finding yourself doing things in "vacation" mode.  You try to cram in everything you can and want to do in a short period of time. Typically in the past it's been a vacation for "two weeks." 

Hey, we don't have to do that anymore, right?

It's weird but after our first eleven days in the RV I still find myself in "vacation" mode.  I've not yet relaxed into having time on my hands.  I haven't reached the point of being bored enough to find something fun to do. In fairness to myself the RV has had a series of small problems that had to be investigated, repaired or resolved. Each of the eleven days I have tackled one of these problems and have solved many of them.  However I still have a few to go.  My goal is to put them behind me by getting the repairs done so I don't have an excuse not to relax. I'm beginning to wonder if that will ever really happen.

We continue to learn the whole "unwinding" thing.  Martha is better at enjoying life than I am. She has had a daily walk on the beach and has nearly finished a book that she has carried around and not read for nearly a year.



Hey, I read a magazine yesterday and sat still nearly an hour to do it. That's progress right?
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As far as RV repairs this is what I have repaired, investigated and solved so far:

1. Freshwater tank wouldn't fill. It fills now albeit slowly. I found one slightly restricted hose.
2. I checked the battery compartment and found all of the house batteries low on electrolyte. While I was at it I took every cable off, cleaned and polished them, replaced them, cleaned the battery surfaces off and topped off each cell.
3. The toilet and the entire toilet room smells of urine. I think the previous owner must have had the "stand closer sweetie, it's shorter than you think" syndrome.  Despite repeated cleanings of the floor, underneath the plastic surround at the base of the toilet the smell remains.  I will pull the toilet next to see how bad the seal is and clean the area thoroughly.
4. Install a Chromecast on the main TV. Sound easy right? Not.  I had to take the overhead TV cabinet apart to gain access to the HDMI ports, snake the power cord through an impossibly full wire chase. and then put things back together.
5. Water pressure/flow was low at all faucets, toilet and shower. This resulted in my chasing the water lines from the city water hookup to each of the water outlets on the coach.  I found a deteriorated black rubber washer in the city water hookup. I was absolutely disintegrated. The pieces were distributed first in the fresh water whole house water filter. I removed the filter and put the housing back on. Next I took the screens off each faucet, and shower and ran water until all of the black washer particles quit coming out of the outlets.  I ran the toilet flushing system to do the same and then cleaned each faucet screen with vinegar to insure they were clean and flowing. That seems to have cured the low water flow issues.
6. The coaches fantastic fan controls are intermittent, I took the controls apart and tried to clean the push pin contactors. I need fine grit sandpaper to do it one more time. However, the controls now work with repeated pushing.
7. I checked all engine and transmissions fluids and found them all fine.
6. I've checked the tire pressure and filled as required.

I still haven't finished checking systems and will keep tabs as I complete tasks.

Cold Day Today - We Drove To Opal And Navarre Beach

It only got into the mid-fifties today. Not cold you say?  Try 54 degrees with a 22 knot wind. We decided to take a drive to Opal and Navarre Beaches.  Both stunning places to sea watch.

Tonight we are expected to drop below freezing so I have the basement heat on in the RV.  It's only supposed to be below freezing for a couple of hours but, better safe than sorry.

Still Getting Used To New Noises - Hyper-vigilance Is A Curse.

What a night

I slept well initially.  As older folks tend to do, I had get up and use the facilities in the wee hours of the night. Upon returning to bed I dozed off and was just about, to sleep when I heard a "bang." Instead of getting up and checking what it might be, I just laid there wondering in the warmth of the bed. Evidently this is the wrong answer when one is hyper-vigilant.

The result was keeping Martha (and myself) awake until the early morning hours tossing and turning and trying to regain some sense of calm and composure. I think I finally fell asleep around 3:00 am.

When I awoke this morning I found that the bang was a "command hook" that failed under the weight of my wife's purse.

So, now I sit and sip coffee and marvel at how stupid I am and what possesses some of my neighbors to be as stupid as they are, all while nodding off doing so.

This guy sat outside all evening lighting one stinky cheap cigar off the last.  He made my life stinky too. Damn I hate smokers.  And yes, I know he has a right to smoke outside and that it's my problem not his but I sure wish the wind had changed directions and blew the smoke back into his face.

Martha checking emails and making journal entries

Some more photos from yesterdays trip to the beach

We Walked Over To The Beach Today - It's A Wondrous Place

No words required

Sunset on the Dunes of Pensacola Beach

Water Woes - Part Deux

I posted earlier about our fresh water tank not filling. After many Google searches and posting on iRV2 in the Newmar forum and on the Escapees discussion board I decided to start my up close and personal checks of tanks and hoses.  I started on the curbside tanks which are accessed behind the peg board bay.

Once I took all the parts out and checked things I found there are no problems on this side of the coach. I did however find that the all three tanks (fresh, black and grey) had level sensors loose from the tanks. I temporarily repaired them using "fix anything tape."  I will now need to tackle the roadside wet bay to inspect things.  This is going to be a huge pain in the butt. However, it is required to find the leak, kink or missing parts.

In the mean time we are on Santa Rosa Island at Pensacola beach in the Fort Pickens Camground at the Gulf Shores National Seashore.

In a word "beautiful."

Rain, Rain Go Away

Today we made it to Biloxi some eighty three miles from yesterdays stay in Madisionville, La.  Today we had good conditions for travel but it started raining raing about 1pm and still hasn't stopped.  We are at the Boomtown Casino RV Park.

It's a nice place with concrete slabs that are too small width wise. Our RV parked all the way to the driverside for hook ups yielded about a foot of excess slab on the curbside. The plus is that all sites are a full hook ups.  A bonus is that the site we've got is a pull through site, easy peasy.

Tomorrow checkout is 12 pm. We hope to sleep in.  After waking we will be moving to Ft. Pickens, Florida for 14 days on the beach.  I will add photos of Boomtown RV Park tomorrow.

Camping In A Swamp - Or, Rub A Dub, Dub There's An RV In The Tub

Good grief, first water problems in the RV (still not solved). Then water problems at our Louisiana campground.

We stayed in Fairview Riverside State Park, Madisonville, Louisiana for the last two days.  It is one of our favorite places to camp. Live Oaks and River Oaks dripping with Spanish moss, the beautiful Tchefuncte (Cha Funk Ta) River on the West side of the park and running water, everywhere.

The first day and evening were great. We got set up, went for a walk, cooked dinner and made a campfire to have a few drinks by.  About 8:30 I went to stoke the fire and stepped in water that had not been there previously, WTF?

Fairview is built in a low lying area and is surround by swamp that borders the river. About the same time I was discovering the water a ranger stopped by the RV. He told us that the river was backing up because of strong winds at the mouth of it forcing the water back up river. He said it wasn't critical and we would be ok.  Right.

This morning I awoke to a newly formed moat. That's not rainwater folks, that is rising water in a swamp.  The kicker was it was before coffee.

We've Left On Our First Of Many Adventures - On The Way To Ft. Pickens

Well we've done it. We are on the road for a month preparing ourselves and our coach for full timing starting in June of 2017.  We rented a tow dolly to see how it worked with towing Martha's car. So far so good but mounting the car on the dolly is truly a pain in the ass.

Our 9:30 departure from Fayetteville was delayed by nearly an hour by a leveling jack that refused to retract. I had to manually release it using the solenoid valve under the hood.  Once that was solved we got the tow dolly from UHaul and started south.  We are currently in the Harrow's Casino parking lot just across the Mississippi in Greenville, MS.

We had a somewhat dissatisfying dinner and gambled away $20 total but hey, we're boondocking for free. This place has truck parking and a large parking lot that you can pull your coach into. They (security) suggest the truck lot on busy nights.

The next stop for us is at Fairview Riverside Park in Madisonville, Louisiana and our favorite restaurant on the planet "Mortons Seafood" on the Tchefuncte River.  We are there for two nights and then head to Biloxi, Ms.for a night and finally to Ft. Pickens. Florida for two weeks. I will do my best to take some photos tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Chasing RV System Problems or "Water War's"

Yep, water woes.  Lets start with the black water system.  I noticed while we were in Fredricksburg, Texas that my black water outlet had sewage backed up against the cap. I got a sewage shower when I took the cap off. In a word, YUCK!

So, yesterday I took the blade valve out and noticed that the seals were fine on one side but the other had been pinched and deformed on installation.  I did my best to work out the deformity and put the valve back into place.  I need a complete new valve or new seals.  So, before leaving on the 4th I will purchase one or the other and install them when we get to warmer climes.

Next up is the fresh water tank.  We want some water in the tank for quick showers and toilet use when we leave for Florida.  The old water was "funky" or as my son said "It tastes like ass."  I'm afraid to ask him how he knows that.....

Today I tried to fill the fresh water tank and thought things were goings "swimmingly" until water started to seep out of the floor above my wet bay.  I knew that wasn't supposed to happen so I shut the water off and scrambled inside to find water under my bathroom vanity.  Again, it's not supposed to do that, right?

In our coach's wet bay there is a valve that you change to use city water or water from the fresh water tank.  I switched it counter clockwise as shown to allow the tank to fill, after a few minutes the water came through the floor.  I turned off the pump and went inside and then the pump wouldn't prime. A V-8 moment came after reading the directions in our RV's manual (do real men read directions?).

So, I went back out the coach and switched the valve back to the clockwise position LIKE THE MANUAL said to do. Voila! Water came from the faucets.

Now the mysterious part. I ran the water to fill the tank for maybe 10 minutes. I go to the information panel and check the levels and the water tank is almost empty. So, where did the water go?

It's dark outside now and it's cold. But off I will go to inspect the basement bays and see if that's where the water went. Wish me luck.

First Camp Out In Our New RV - Fredricksburg, Tx.

We departed Fayetteville Saturday evening to be in Rio Vista, Tx.  We left the following morning from my brother in laws house and headed to Fredricksburg, Tx.  The coach handled pretty well in Texas Hill Country but was a handful in cross winds.

We arrived at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park in Fredricksburg about 4:30 in the afternoon and immediately set out for downtown, dinner and a beer (or six).  Our campsite is adjacent to the city airfield. The park is old but well cared for, with clean bathrooms and showers. Costs are $40 nightly with full hook ups.  If you are a stickler for absolute quite you will find it difficult to stay here. There is a medium sized city airport next to the park and aircraft of all shapes and sizes take off from here at all hours of the day and night. I will qualify this statement by saying that the traffic dies down after 10 pm.

Our RV camping spot in Fredricksburg, Texas

We camped with my brother in law and his girls. The two girls slept in the RV with us and my son Brad and my B.I.L. slept in tents outside.  We even had time for a trip to Luckenbach, Tx. to visit Waylon, Willie and the boys.

It was a hopping place. They even had chickens!

On the plus side they did have ice cold beer.

First Trip In The Class A - Driving from Alvarado, TX. to Fayetteville, AR.

Well we took possession of our coach and drove away from Alvarado, Tx. on Thursday afternoon the 17th.  I left around 3:40 pm in time for monumental traffic jams, extremely narrow chicane type construction diversions, 2.5 hour slow downs due to wrecks and extreme winds in the Lake Eufala area.  So, what should have been a 7 hour drive turned into an 10.5 hour drive.

The scariest part was the construction diversions and wind gusting to 50 mph at Lake Eufala from my right side. Down right miserable driving. The coach was doing involuntary lane changes, drifting all over the road and I could not let my guard down for a second. I did seven stops along the way to relax.

When I got home I virtually collapsed in a tired heap.

Obsessing About An Oil Change - Or, The Oil Change Boogie Was Changed To A Waltz With One Phone Call

So, my obsession getting an oil change immediately was unwarranted.  Why?  Well as I was going through the the library of brochures and technical manuals that came with the coach I discovered two documents that told me who the first and second owners were.  On an off chance that the previous owner of my coach wouldn't mind my calling him, I did.

Turns out that both he and his wife really didn't want to sell the coach but only used it three times a year and decided that it was too much coach for that minimal amount of time in use. Instead they consigned it to Motor Home Specialists in Alvarado, Tx.

During my enjoyable time with him on the phone I learned that the oil was changed less than 8 months ago and the only filters that hadn't been changed were the fuel filters. BINGO! I can delay PM for a few months until I can recover from paying taxes. This was VERY good news but I will have the chassis lubed and the fuel filters installed as a precaution..

Additionally he told me that the Spendide washer/dryer had never been used by the previous owner or by them.  So, my concern about that is do I try to winterize the washer/dryer or not?  I will have to read more about that.   The ad for this coach stated it had new tires. Nobody at the dealership knew how old (even though they changed them????), anyway I asked about them while I had him on the phone.   He said "the only miles on the tires are the ones that were put on by demo rides."  Another win!

The coach will be ready to pick up tomorrow after the golf cart carnage so I leave Fayetteville at 6:30 am with my best friend who will drive me 480 miles to get the coach and drive back the same day. That is a seriously good friend.

Thanks Jim.

Killing Time Until We Can Pick Up The RV

Yesterday I started accumulating (read, finding stuff again) the things we need to put in the coach prior to our 1st trip departure on the 19th.  I have made a list and it gets longer each day as does the pile of stuff in our garage on the floor.

It's been a while since we sold our last RV (a travel trailer) so as I stack things up I remember other things that should go in the coach. Some of the stuff will still need to be shuttled back and forth between the house and the coach each time we go some place.  I hate that we need to do that but it doesn't make economic sense to purchase all new flatware or all new plates, pots, pans and utensils when we will have all of that available to us from our house in six months.

We are meeting my brother in law and most of his family in Fredricksburg, TX for the Thanksgiving holiday and they are tenting in a tent I am borrowing and using our cots.  So, all of that has to accompany us as well.

Oh well, it's good practice.

Waiting For Word - When Will Our RV Be Ready To Pick Up? - Again

I am so frustrated by the accident down in Alvarado.  They told us it would take 4-5 days to do the repairs. If we count Friday as one of those days we could get the call to come get the coach by Thursday or Friday.

We really need to get it serviced, packed and ready for the road by the 19th as we are planning on Thanksgiving with family. But first we're headed to Fredricksburg, Texas with my Brother in Law and family.  Time is getting short. Wish us luck.

The Oil Change Boogie And Picking Up Our RV Part Deux

Since our coach is used. And since there is an oil change sticker on the drivers side window that says the last oil change was three years ago, I've been scrambling to find a place to service the coach in the Dallas area before I drive back to Arkansas.  This sound simple enough right?  Not. Nobody has appointments available.

I've posted about this on several RV forums and have been directed several times by to consider using a Speedco Service Center for getting this done.

However, the as I checked out Speedco and called their closest service centers (Oklahoma City and Joplin) I see how they do things. If you bring all of your own filters it's no problem but if you go to their service centers and expect them to have what you need in stock ....well, that's another story.

They only change the filters and fuel filters they have in stock and the associated fluids.  If they don't have it, they notify you and you still have part of your service not done.  They do give you the option of bringing all the filters and they will install them.

So, what I have done is opted to travel back to Arkansas after checking fluid levels carefully and then get it serviced here.  It shouldn't have to be this hard to find a place to service this beast.

On a somewhat brighter note we are due to pick up our RV again, for the second time. Hopefully without golf cart/RV destruction. They said five days for the repairs which would put it ready to pick up on Thursday. We'll see but if it isn't ready we'll have a problem because we are booked for space at the Ladybird Johnson Municipal Park in Fredricksburg, Tx.

The Universe Has Spoken

On Thursday morning Martha and I departed for Alvarado, Texas from our home in Fayetteville. All that remained was a close inspection of the RV followed by a test drive and we would sign the dotted line, become once again cash poor and then drive away in our beautiful coach.

After the test drive (I really liked how well the big beast handled) we returned to the dealership. Following the instructions of the sales guy I snaked my way through a rather expansive dealership and given instructions as to where I was to park.

We were positioned adjacent to the dealerships office and the salesman told me to make a right hand turn and park in front of a line of new motor homes. As I committed to making the right I swung out wide to clear a Fiver that was parked on the corner. About that time a guy in a golf cart accelerated in front of me and turned hard right and paralleled us heading toward the rear of our coach. He then proceed to stop hard and sort of jumped off the golf cart as it was coming to a stop. 

Where he parked was exactly in the turning radius of our coach and his golf cart ended up to near the side of our coach resulting in the right rear of the coach striking the golf cart and gouging two storage doors and the wheel cover. It turns out that stopping 28,000 pounds of mass isn't instantaneous. 

Since this happened in front of the office the owner of the dealership came out to see what had happened.  He simply said "Are you out looking for coaches?" I told him this is the one we're buying.  

He never skipped a beat and said "well in that case let me send the coach to our body and paint shop and we will repair everything like new and for your trouble, I will have our cleaning crew detail the outside and inside of your coach free of charge (this was a consignment unit and as such they do not clean them unless the owner wants it done)."  

I was very pleased to hear him say that and we decided to go ahead with sale.  This results in my making yet another trip to Alvarado to pick up the coach.  The Universe has spoken....sheesh.

More On Insurance - What I Found Out Today

If you read my post regarding what you need in the way of insurance, then you probably figured out that I was shopping for the right policy. Since we required a loan for our coach we decided to use USAA. They gave us an excellent interest rate so it that part was a no brainer.

The folks at USAA suggested their insurance (Foremost) for the RV so we got a quote from them. We received what we thought to be a very good price on an annual policy and were going to call them tomorrow during the closing to put the policy in force.

Today I decided to stop by our State Farm agent's office and see about a quote from them. I was pretty sure based on their loan interest rates the quote for insurance would be much higher than Foremost.  I was floored to find out with all the same coverage's and deductible's State Farm was almost $1000 a year less. No need to look further.

To be fair we have been with State Farm for our entire marriage (working on 26 years) and we have our vehicle, motorcycle and renters insurance with them.

So, what's the moral of the story?  Well, I just found out that loyalty pays off.

Holding Our Breath - RV Pickup Day Is Tomorrow

We've had so many obstacles and other barriers thrown at us during this search it seems that we've been holding our breath since we settled on the Northern Star two weeks ago.

All the barriers seemed to be removed. The owner of the coach has given final approval, the roof is being resealed today, the loan is approved, we've several insurance quotes to consider and all that remains is to decide what RV insurance carrier we want and then go pick up the Coach tomorrow.

I will post more photos of the coach by the weekend.  We intend to camp Sunday and Monday night at nearby Lake Ft. Smith about 40 minutes from here. We want to do a proper "shake down" and enjoy what will become our life after next June.

Wish us luck.