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Back in the Saddle Again

-Gramps-

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According to my outdoor wireless thermometer it is currently 43 degrees Fahrenheit. I am sitting comfortably in my motorcoach listening to two things ... a worship CD and the intermittent sound of ice falling inside the fridge. I am defrosting and so is the fridge. As you may have gathered from my previous blog entries, or lack thereof, I have been pretty much frozen in place at home maintaining my business. Our coach has just been sitting waiting for us to come back to it.

This last Tuesday we finally made it back home to Deer Creek Motorcoach Resort (the One in Galax Virginia!).

The moment the automatic gate started to open and I had an unimpaired view of the hills, my heart started to melt. We unpacked the over packed car and hauled all our stuff into the coach. The first thing on our list (after putting out the slide outs and water connections and such) was to move all the stuff in the cooler to the refrigerator. I opened it and all the bottles of water and Arizona iced tea that had been in there since July 15th were frozen solid. I didn't want to deal with this right now so I loaded it up and placed some containers of hot water under the coils in order remove some of the ice that had built up around them. Once that was done, and all our other items were put away we headed out the door to explore our home away from home and more importantly to see our friends.

The place has changed, a lot. There are coaches parked on newly poured pads and new cabins going up almost every day. The golf course has new green markers and the numbers have been changed. It is no longer my private golf course by default. There are plenty of players who use it now. That is a good thing. Golf courses, just like motorcoaches, need people using them. If both had souls they would long for people to use them.

I sometimes think my coach does have a soul.

I could have sworn I heard a sign of relief when we came through the door.

"Finally, they are back, I hope that they have come to take me out on the road !"

We will be taking the coach back to our stick house when we leave next week. The summer is over for us. It was short and not so sweet. Frankly I am relieved it is over. We look forward to a quiet Thanksgiving including a camping weekend in Williamsburg, celebrating Teddy Bear Day, followed by a good Christmas. We will spend some time with our FMCA chapter over the Holidays.

New Year's Day plus one or two should find us heading to Florida and Fort Wilderness.

A long peaceful road trip. It is just what we need. It will unwind the knots in my soul. Just thinking about traveling down the road makes me feel like a motorcoacher again. Once I start feeling like a motorcoacher again, I start thinking like one too.

When I think like a Motorcoacher my head fills up with ideas.

Here are a few.

A clear plastic sewer connection is a good thing to use. That way you will see the juice box that your grand kids dumped in the toilet as it makes its final destination.

Your tool kit should always include a small volt ohm meter. You can check your battery voltages, check for loose grounds (the bane of most 12 volt systems) and do an accurate check of fuses to see if they are still viable.

Dental floss will work really well to make a quick repair of broken day-night shade strings.

I carry a curved upholstery needle, outdoor UV resistant thread and fabric glue. Those three things will help you greatly extend the life of your awnings and slide out toppers. Run a bead of UV resistant Fabric glue along all your topper seams. It will keep the thread from rotting so fast.

My supply kit also includes a couple of cans of spray-on silicon protectant. I spray that good stuff on my patio umbrellas, slide out toppers and various other cloth things that get exposed to the outdoor sunshine and rain.

Don't buy cheap self leveling caulk. It doesn't self level but it will crack. I found out that the hard way and now I have to do a couple of roof repairs over again.

I carry of lot of baking soda. It does wonders to clean out gray tanks and P traps. It gets rid of odors and cleans up the tank sensors.

If you want to do something really nice for your spouse, buy them a Kindle. You will become a hero.

A Kindle makes a great gift for the road. I gave my wife one inside a leather case with a built in light. She loves it.

Satellite receivers produce a lot of heat when in use. Unfortunately most coach cabinets that house them are poorly vented. Add a vent and better yet, add a muffin fan. You just may save yourself a lot of aggravation and not miss the big game because your receiver baked itself to death.

Note to Self : Cell Repeaters really do work in bad cell coverage areas, except when you don't own one.

(I need to make an online call to Amazon.com)

Amour-all Extreme Shine Spray on Detailing works really well on painted fiberglass.

Hang a small wind chime on your tv antenna handle. That way when you forget to lower it before you pull out of the campsite you will get an audible reminder. You just might save your antenna and your roof.

You can learn a lot by being a member of a Motorcoaching Forum!

A cold day in the Motorcoach sure beats a hot sweaty day working in some stuffy, dirty, overhead pulling wires.

I am back in the Saddle again.

Man, I sure have missed it.



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Getting away, feeling the cares melt into the background, dreaming about all the adventures to come, a motor home is terrific therapy. Best wishes for a fine fall camping season and some great holiday experiences with family and friends! Tom

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Derrick

Enjoyed the blog. You are a great writer. Janis & I miss you and Diane a lot.

Hope you guys will consider traveling together in the future. We will be in touch.

Your adopted brother,

Gary

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