Winter Vacation 2013-2014

[ClydesdaleKevin]

And finally...Winter Vacation has begun!

We are all packed up and in the outer parking lot of the Carolina Renaissance Festival, and we are done working until the start of the Arizona Renfaire in February.

We'll be getting an early start, and we'll more than likely make it down to Saint Marys, GA to visit my sister by this evening...but we aren't in any hurry.

Then our agenda is to go further south and pick up I-10 West, stopping briefly in Florida to take care of renewing our vehicle registrations and Patti's license, which expires on her birthday on January 11.

After that, its a meandering trip out west, stopping when we feel like at National Forests and BLM lands to do a lot of boondocking this year.

If the roads are passable this year, we do want to stop at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico on the way, and whatever other sites there are to see.

Once in Arizona, its another stay in Tombstone!  We love that place.  And the rest will be boondocking, probably at Hot Wells Dunes, and there is another hot springs nearby in the Gila National Forest.

Its going to fun, relaxing, and a lot of time spent with the pups and training them a bit.  At least they are more housebroken now than not! 

First thing I'll be doing today after getting dressed is take the Jeep across the street to McDonalds and get breakfast, then hook the Jeep up to the RV, then hit the road!

Let Vacation begin!

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

  Holy Cow, Sit Down, Strap In and Hang On, get ready for the DELUGE of photo's that are about to come. Lookout Mark. :)rotflmao

[legomybago]

That sounds like a great time.....

[ClydesdaleKevin]

29 miles from my sister's house in Saint Marys, GA...and pulled in for the night at a Flying J.

The rig is running amazingly well!  I don't know if it was the tweak I gave the timing and idle, or the Spectre cold air intake, or all three, but she's got power now!  Even accelerates up hills!  Although I kept it to 55 to save fuel.

And it just sounds and feels right now.  Purring like a very big kitten!  I'll know the current MPG when I gas up in the morning, but the needle on the gauge didn't seem to move any faster than before...the numbers won't lie though.

And my fix to my leaking front airbag worked like a charm!  Slime does indeed seal an airbag leak provided its at the bottom of the airbag!

So far so good!

We didn't bother with the last 29 miles since it would be dark when we arrived at my sister's, and I need full daylight to park in HER driveway!  Its a pretty tight neighborhood, especially when everyone is home at night with their cars parked on the street.  Much easier in the daytime.

So we had dinner at Denny's, took the pups out twice (and will again before long), and we are calling it an evening!  I probably won't even read for very long.

BIG yawn...

Internet connection sucketh here, so I'm going back to my book.

Kev

[DonD]

Denny's...Prime Rib Philly melt!!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  Patti had the potroast, and I had the Smaug Fire Burger off the Hobbit menu.

All rested up after sleeping at the Flying J...although the pups woke me twice to go potty, which I can't really complain about!  They've been good so far and the rugs are still clean...lmao!

29 miles out from my sis's house, and we'll be leaving in a bit, once Patti gets all prettified.

I did turn the rig around early this morning so we wouldn't get blocked in...parking was tight last night and there was no way out with the 2 big RVs parked on the end blocking the exit, not without unhooking the Jeep...but as soon as I saw one of them move, I started the engine and made a slow cold start to turn the rig around and park it facing out.  Once Patti is ready we'll move it over to the fuel pumps, top off the fuel, empty the grey, and top off the fresh.

Then its a short trip to my sis's house, unhook the Jeep, back the rig into her driveway, and get ready for a few day visit.

All systems go so far!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So 7.1 mpg...not bad, especially when I wasn't exactly easy on the pedal testing everything out...I had the secondaries open on pretty much every hill.  I'm usually a lot more conservative when I drive, so while there might not be any improvement in MPG, it doesn't appear to have made a negative impact.

We took our time getting to my sis's and set up in her driveway, then spent a relaxing evening and had Hunt Brother's Pizza for dinner.  Hey, its gas station pizza, but its GOOD!  Beats most pizza anywhere outside of the Northeast!

Tonight we'll be having steak!

Its been nice to relax for a couple of days!

Tomorrow I'll be crawling under the rig and measuring how much I need in the way of rubber fuel hoses, then pulling that mystery line and having Patti turn the key.  Then going down to the auto parts store for the hoses, and then installing them on Saturday.  Patti is going to go with my sister on Saturday to attend my nephew's cheerleading competition...which isn't my idea of fun, so I'll work on the rig...lol!  I also need to pick up a brass punch to get the lockring off the fuel sender again...wood didn't work last time and I was a nervous wreck I'd strike a spark with the steel punch I used last time!

Then its a couple more days of relaxing before heading west. 

Ah vacation!

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Hi Kev you make my 10.2 feel real good now. Plastic will work for a punch also. I have always used a screwdriver and never even thought about a spark . You are usually not stricking that hard . To cause sparks. 99% of the time the tank is out of the veh . And to get an explosion you have to have the correct fuel air mixture or a lot of fumes.  Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Frank!  Good to know!

I didn't get to the fuel lines yet.  My mom and stepdad decided to show up yesterday, so we spent time with them and enjoyed their company and exchanged Christmas gifts and had dinner and whatnot.

Today Patti went with my sis to the cheerleading competition, and I'm SO glad I had an excuse to stay home...lol!  They still aren't back yet.  I can't imagine having to sit in an auditorium for hours listening to screaming teenagers...that would be a special and very evil kind of hell...lmao!

So after they left, I went on poop patrol and cleaned up all the doggie presents out of my sis's yard, then fed the pups after taking them out again, then went into town to find peat moss, which I found at a True Value hardware.

I bagged up 12 1 gallon bags of it, then changed out the peat moss in our composting toilet...and washed it thoroughly with a hose.  You don't usually have to do that, but I do it once in a while anyways.

Then I stowed the remaining 10 peat moss bags, and cleaned the bathroom completely.

Then it was potty time for the pups again, and lunch...then it was time to attack the crack in the secondary freshwater tank.

After emptying out the entire storage area under the bed, I removed the Eternabond tape from the crack...and it came off surprizingly easy.  Even Eternabond doesn't stick well to polyethelyene!  I let the 80 watt Harbor Freight welding iron heat up while I removed the tape.

I was very careful and used plenty of polyethelyne icemaker tubing around the crack, and put on a thick layer.  I noticed that while the head of the iron would melt it, the sides of the iron were the bee's knees when it came to smoothing it out!  The sides got a lot hotter!

Then it was time to fill the tank and test for leaks.

I put a hose in the outer filler spout, and turning it on, and waited for it to completely fill with water to overflowing.

No leaks!  Woohoo!!!

First time ever plastic welding, and its not only watertight, it doesn't look half bad either!

Then I reorganized all the stuff that goes under the bed while repacking it, and managed to fit everything under the bed that doesn't have a home in a cabinet, so our vacation will be clutter free!

Then the dishes, and another doggie potty run...then a trip to the package store...lol!

Now I'm going to have a couple of bourbons, and go back to the book I'm reading!

Tomorrow I'll be helping my sis's son Eddie build a trebuchet for his science project, then Monday I'll attack the fuel hose issue in earnest.

We have to stay through Wednesday anyways, since I ordered Patti's Christmas present from Camping World.  It was supposed to be here in 2 days, but they botched it and only half of it will get here Tuesday, and the other Wednesday.  They did refund my expedited shipping though!

I got her a Dish Network receiver since they started a new pay as you go program...some places we can't use it which is why we never bothered...and a Dish Tailgater antenna that automatically tracks the satellites!  Its a portable unit, which I thought would be best for a lot of the campgrounds we are in, rather than a rooftop unit...but at least I won't have to try to find the satellite!

She's been wanting satellite TV forever, but it wasn't practical until now.

I can't wait to see her face when she opens it!  I got a SWEET deal between my Good Sam membership and they Cyber Monday sale they were having, plus the package deal for buying them together.  I saved nearly 70% of the whole shebang!

Okay...dogs had to go out again, so now its time to read a bit before everyone gets home.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I got an early start today before helping my sis's son with his science project, and crawled under the rig to access my fuel line issues going to the genny.

Mystery solved!  And it wasn't even a mystery, just mistaken identity of what I thought was a fourth fuel line which was actually a brake line for the trailing axle...lol!  That and a faulty memory, because I could have sworn that there was a 4th line coming out of my fuel tank...but when I crawled under there today, there are only 3!

I took the lockring off and removed the pump/sending unit assembly just enough to identify which hose when to where. 

One is definitely a vent, one is the main 1/2 line coming directly out of the electric fuel pump, and one is the return.  So it must be a factory setup for the genny to tee into the return line.

I'm not going to bother replacing the vent line.  And the half inch rubber hose, which is really hard to get to, is a very short 10" run to the fuel pressure regulator (which I hope NEVER goes bad, since its on the opposite side of the tank and would require dropping the tank to replace...and from the regulator right to a steel 1/2 line which runs all the way to the front mechanical fuel pump.

I think the genny fuel delivery problem is the 10 whole feet of crusty rubber fuel hose that goes from the steel line where the genny tees into it, all the way back to the fuel tank.

So that is the only rubber hose I'm going to replace for now.

I traced everything back to the front, and lost the vent line somewhere...but the other two lines run right to the frame rail just a few inches from the mechanical fuel pump.  They are short, and look okay, and since they are very hard to access on our rig, I'll leave those hoses alone too for now.  Our coach has that extra steering stabilizer called a Safe-T-Plus, and it would have to be removed in order to access the pump from below, or I'd have to take the alternator out to access the pump from above.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Once I replace that 10 foot section of rubber hose, the genny should be good to go.  So that is tomorrow's project.

By the way, I made another misidentification.  What I thought was a big 2 inch hose from the filler neck is actually a vent that ties into the filler somehow via a canister next to the filler neck...which is a massive hose barely visible entering the side of the fuel tank.

I took pictures and will post them when I have a chance.

But replacing the line can wait until tomorrow.  Now its time to help little Eddie with his trebuchet!

Kev

[pvoth1111]

My genny for sure tees into to return line as well.....your vent line should go to the charcoal canister.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

About to get started replacing the crappy fuel hose...which shouldn't take long...then testing the genny.  Hopefully it solves the fuel delivery problem completely!

After that I need to run to the post office to mail a few catapults out and whatnot.

Then I'll be at Patti's disposal to help her finish up the bedroom curtains, and maybe get a start replacing the material in the valances, and shortening the blinds in the rear of the coach...they are the right width, but WAY too long, so they don't work right and bind up. 

And before we leave Georgia, I want to grease the fittings on the Jeep and top off the diff fluid in its front axle...has a slow leak.

And that should take care of all the projects and the rest of vacation will be just that...vacation!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The fuel hose is replaced and the genny is all fixed!  I replaced the hose (it ended up being 5/16 not 3/8, so another trip to O'Reilly's was required...and since it was 10 whole feet they sold me of the 3/8 they let me exchange it and the hose clamps for the right ones).

I put it on, zip tied everything in place, and started the genny.

It took a bit to prime all the way from the tank, but then it evened out and I could see a steady fuel flow in the clear plastic fuel filter. 

I let it run for a whole hour under load with the AC blasting, and the genny is running great now!

Problem solved and fuel line routing all figured out!

While I was at O'Reilly's, I decided to check out the RV section of the True Value hardware store, and YES!  They had one of those Camco vent cover thingies with the tail that looks like a weathervane for purging the holding tank gases...ever since replumbing both holding tanks into one big grey tank, we've been occasionally getting grey water smell when travelling, so I'm hoping this will do the trick!  While there I also picked up some more snaps and short expanding molly bolts for Patti's curtain project.

After fixing the fuel hose and making sure the genny was running perfectly, up on the roof I went with my sis's hubby's ladder...easier to get to the vent cover from a ladder with the solar panels in the way...and removed the old vent.  Riveted to the roof of course, so I had to use a chisel to pop the rivets.  Then I cleaned it all up with Goof Off, and sealed all around the vent pipe with Eternabond tape.  Install of the vent thingy was a snap after that, I sealed it all with silicone, cleaned up everything, and called that project done.

Also got everything mailed out that needs to be mailed out, and then went to Walmart to get the fixin's for dinner tonight...cornbeef and cabbage!

Paladin might have a mild case of puppy mange, so we'll have to keep an eye on it...just a couple of tiny spots on his face where the hair is thinning out, pretty common in German Shepherd puppies.  It usually clears itself up, but if it gets worse we can treat it with benzyl peroxide gel, same stuff they use for zits in humans...just gotta consult the vet first for the right dosage percentage.

And that is all I'm going to do today!

Patti is almost finished with the bedroom curtains, so tomorrow I'll be helping her with the molly and snap installations, and taking down the valances to replace the fabric in the insets.  Then rehanging them...and hopefully get around to shortening the bedroom window shades.

Now to read a bit before dinner!

Kev

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

About to go down to Lowes for some more of that Grab It adhesive for another bowed wall repair, then get back and help Patti with the valances and whatnot.  Gotta finish these projects so vacation can begin in earnest with no work involved...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Curtains are all done, and we'll be finishing up the valances and shades today.  Tomorrow I have to mail out some more catapults, then grease the fittings on the Jeep and top off its diff fluids, then Saturday morning we are back on the road heading West!

A brief stop on I-10 at a campground in Florida for a couple of days to visit friends and take care of vehicle registration stuff, then its Westward Ho!

Kev

[M & J]

Westward Ho, Ho, Ho.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Project curtains and valances is DONE!!!  And they look great!  I'll post some pictures as soon as I find out what the heck I did with my camera cord!

Just a few things to do tomorrow, then its Westward Ho Ho Ho...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So today I got all the grease fittings on the Jeep greased and its diff fluids topped off.  The clacking sound went away, so I'm assuming I have a U joint on its way out...but that is better than the transfer case going bad, which is what a mechanic told me!  Once it starts clacking again, I'll grease one fitting at a time to isolate which one is the culprit.  My guess is its the one on the front of the transfer case, where the drive shaft goes to the front axle.  Its VERY hard to reach with the skid plate in the way, and has to be in just the right position to get the grease gun fitting on it...and it took a LOT of grease before it finally started coming out of the bearings.  I'll keep an eye on it!

Then I unloaded the Jeep completely, and repacked it much more neatly than when we left NC.  I was in a hurry towards the end there, but today I got it packed up intelligently and much more organized.

Then it was off to the post office to mail out the last minute catapult orders, including some I got this morning.

Then off to the Pet Supply place where I spend a couple of hundred bucks stocking up on dog food...cabinets are loaded now!...then back home.

After that I put up the mount for my sister's flat screen TV in her living room and got her TV all hanged up for her, so her hubby wouldn't have to do it when he gets back from sea in a week, then called it a day!

Right before logging onto this site, I checked my email again, and had a sadistic sense of pleasure turning down 4 more catapult orders!  Don't people read my website?...lol!  Thanksgiving is the usual deadline, but I extended it until today...and yet they still want to order!  Well, my compartments are packed and we are hitting the road tomorrow, so no can do.

In the morning its breakfast with my sis and her family, then dial in her son's trebuchet for his school project, then hopefully get on the road by 1pm.  We'll see how it goes though.  I won't be surprised if we end up leaving bright and early Sunday morning...lol!

Now to read for a bit!

Kev

[Elandan2]

Hey Kev, I had to laugh about your website comment.  We have the same problem, we will post that we are closed for a period of time and that is when we get the orders seemingly all with overnight shipping.  Enjoy your holiday.  Rick

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Rick!  I was nice about it, telling the folks that we were on vacation and on the road, but would be happy to fill any belated
Christmas orders or future holiday or birthday orders once we opened our woodshop back up in February...but the stupidity of people always reminds me of the movie Idiocracy!

Not much done today, although Patti dragged me out of bed early to go to O'Reilly's and Autozone for some Duplicolor fabric paint for the dinette cushions...amazingly, the color is darn close to the curtains...we tested it on a small tab of the cushions, and its close enough.  We'll get them reuphostered eventually, and have matching cushions made for the cedar chest love seat, but this was quick and dirty fix for something that looked REALLY shabby compared to the new curtains and carpets!

She shampooed the cushions, so we have to wait until they are dry to color them.  Might be ready by tomorrow.  We bought 4 cans, but ordered 2 more at O'Reilly's, so hopefully 6 cans will be enough to make them look halfway decent.

So obviously there was a change of plans, so it looks like we'll be on the road first thing Monday morning...lol!

I'm glad my sis and Patti get along so well and love each other so dearly!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Waiting for the rain to go away, so coffee it is!  Patti wants me to bring her down to Kohls to exchange an ugly gift...lol...and hopefully by the time we get back the rain will be gone and maybe we can get these cushions colored.

This is the last night in my sis's driveway, and tomorrow morning we hit the road West bright and early!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Didn't make it to Kohls, so we'll hit one when we see one.  I did get a lot done today though.

First I decided to reenforce our rear ladder, since its carrying bicycles now.  Off to Lowes for some brackets and self tapping screws, then picked up 2 more cans of that fabric paint when I got back.

Then I reenforced the ladder to my satisfaction, and since it was still raining, I decided to wash our "new" porch mat we bought at Camping World at the beginning of the North Carolina show.  Since we ran out of time when we left NC, I packed it away wet and dirty.  I laid it out in my sis's driveway and washed and rinsed it, so its drying out now to be packed away in the morning.

Then I aired up my sis's tire AGAIN...she's supposed to get it fixed on Monday...and dialed in her son's science project trebuchet so it now launches marshmallows pretty darn far!

I owe Patti a new broom though...I destroyed it trying to get all the wet pine needles off my sis's driveway before washing the mat...lol!

Patti set up and decorated our tiny little Christmas tree on the dinette table, and once again she outdid herself!  It looks adorable!

And then went shopping for sides for dinner.

And that is it.  Done now and time to read for a bit.

Tomorrow we hit the road!  Next stop, and just for a couple of days, a campground off of I-10 in Florida to visit friends and take care of registration stuff before heading to Arizona.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

About to hit the road!  Gotta make a quick run down to the local supermarket for sugar, and some canned greenbeans for Barnabas.

Then a quick check of everything, pull the RV out into the street, hook up the Jeep, and away we go!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We had a mostly uneventful 260 mile drive yesterday to Dove Rest RV Park, in Marianna, FL, to hook up with some dear friends on our way out West, and to pause in Florida for the vehicle stuff.  Don't let the funny but scarey internet reviews of this park throw you off...its a very nice park, great staff, and affordable at 26.00 a night for full hookups, tax included.

Looks like we'll be here for 2 more nights, so we can visit our friends today, and take care of the vehicle stuff tomorrow, and squeeze in a visit to the vet for Paladin while we are at it.

The RV ran AWESOME the whole way here, and last MPG check was 7.7.  No improvement, but MAN she's running great with lots of power!

Almost makes me think it MIGHT be worth it to get a Gear Vendors unit (used of course), since before I could never imagine myself with enough power to be in overdrive...lol!

One crazy thing happened though at our last fuel stop at a Flying J:  We pulled in, gassed up, checked the MPG, reset the trip meter, and got back on the road...and after a few miles I noticed that the trip meter wasn't moving at all.  Neither was the odometer!

The speedometer needle was moving just fine.  I checked the cable this morning and it was a little loose on the back of the speedo, maybe one and a half turns loose...so maybe that was it?  I didn't think the cable did anything but turn the gears that turn the needle and the odometer/trip meters.  I would have assumed that if the meters failed, so would the needle.  Hmmmm...We'll see if it starts working again when we start back out in a couple of days now that I tightened it up.  Otherwise I'm going to have to try to find a replacement speedo with an odometer and trip meter that fits in the same hole and is the same color!

So coffee, then I'm going to call the two local veterinarians at 8pm when they open and try to get an appointment for Palsie Walsie...his demodex is getting worse on his face instead of better, and I'm getting worried about the little guy.

Then later today our friends Ande and Brian will be coming over to visit us at the campground.

Kev

[legomybago]

I just inquired about a Gear Vendor off CS yesterday, we are wanting to put one on the 86' P30 Komfort. The only bummer was it was installed on a C6, and we of coarse have the T400 Chev. The T400 adapter, and the other things I would need are too expensive for my taste to change it from Ford to Chev. I had one on my 87' Beaver coach, it was awesome. 65 m.p.h at 2400 r.p.m's...something like that? I know if you weren't paying attention to the speedo....it would roll up to 70 on you easily...the 454 liked it.