tbutler

Immediately after leaving Joshua Tree National Park we turned north to Death Valley. Our base of operations was just inside the Nevada state line at the Longstreet Casino in the Amargosa Valley. We arrived and parked at our very nice campsite, which was flooded in just an hour or so as the sprinklers came on at the golf course. We moved to a different site. It turned out that the Casino was celebrating their seventh anniversary and we would enjoy their celebration. They had scheduled David John and the Comstock Cowboys, a western singing group that we had seen several years earlier at a convention in Reno. We were there for each of their performances through the weekend. We even got the lowdown on the singing group from the parents of one of the band members who was sitting at the same table with us. We added to our collection of their albums and still enjoy the great campfire songs they sing. From the Amargosa Valley we traveled through Death Valley Junction into the park. Once we turned toward the park, we could coast most of the way to Furnace Creek and the park headquarters. On our first trip into the park we drove south from the headquarters to Badwater, which is near the lowest point in the park, more than 260 feet below sea level. Along the way we stopped to see the Artists Palette, the Natural Bridge and the Devils Golf Course. The following day we contrived a bicycle ride from Zabriske Point, coasting down to Badwater Road to Golden Canyon. It turned out the wind blowing through the valley was strong enough that Louise had to walk her bike the last quarter mile. We locked up the bicycles at the Golden Canyon parking lot and then hiked back to Zariske Point, where we had left the car. On the hike we took a side trail to see the Cathedral formation and had lunch on the way back from that side trip. Sitting in the shelter of an overhanging rock in the narrow stream, we were joined by a Raven that waited just a few feet away from us as we ate. We continued on over Manly Beacon and then to Zabriske Point. We lost a hat along the way when Louise bent over to tie a shoe. I started to go after it, but after we watched it cross the second line of hills, I decided it wasn't worth it. Death Valley is a desert virtually without plants. It is just bare naked rocks! As a retired earth science teacher, I found the exposed rocks and the erosional features laid bare to be quite amazing and in their own way beautiful. It is obvious that there are periodic heavy rains within the park as the evidence of water erosion is everywhere. In fact I remarked to Louise that I would rename the park, "Erosion National Park." Once we arrived at Zabriske Point we retrieved the bicycles and returned to camp. The next day we drove to Dantes View, which overlooks Badwater from 5,600 feet above and just two miles from the lowest point in Death Valley. The view was spectacular and I formulated the plan for the next bike ride. The next day, Louise drove me to Dante's view. I unloaded my Bike-E and coasted from there to Furnace Creek, a distance of 23 miles. I had to pedal just a few times, but most of the time I was just enjoying the ride. Coming off the alluvial fan at Dante's View, Louise clocked me at 35 miles per hour -- coasting! What a ride! We moved to the Stovepipe Wells Campground after several weeks. This was the only campground in the park with hookups and it only had 30-amps and water. We stayed for just four days as the temperature was now hitting 100 degrees every day. From Stovepipe Wells we explored the northern end of Death Valley, including Scotty's Castle, the area around Ubehebe Crater and Emigrant Canyon. We also saw the Desert Pupfish in Salt Creek. Our favorite adventure in this part of Death Valley was a hike to the Keane Wonder Mine. The trail to this abandoned gold mine features the remains of a tramway used to bring the ore down the mountainside, several entrances to the mine and the main shaft opening and processing center at the top of the tramway. The trail is a torturous 1,300-foot climb in about a mile of trail. We had lunch at the mine site and enjoyed a spectacular view across the valley before descending. At the base of the mountain is the mill, which we explored after the hike. Our egress from Death Valley provided another thrill. Departing from Stovepipe Wells to the west on California Highway 190 provides some heart stopping driving for RVs as the road is narrow with no shoulder and steep drops. Louise had a spectacular view out the passenger window when she could open her eyes. I bought a paperback book, Death Valley '49, written by William L. Manly, one of the guides who led a pioneer group into Death Valley. After finding a way out, Manly returned to save the pioneers who had been left in Death Valley. No one died in Death Valley, but the wagons were abandoned and most of the oxen eaten while in the valley and on the way out. The tale was a riveting description of the hardships endured by these '49ers as they traveled west to a better life. Our final encounter with Death Valley on this trip originated from Visalia, CA. I got checked out in a Piper Arrow at the Visalia airport. From there we flew over the Sierra Nevada to Death Valley making a landing in the park at the Furnace Creek airport. This airport is the lowest airport in the US being almost 200 feet below sea level. We had lunch and then took off for the return flight. We circled over the Keane Wonder mine and flew east to the Amargosa Valley and our campsite at the Longstreet Casino. Then we crossed Death Valley again headed westward over Scotty's Castle and Ubehebe Crater. Continuing on east, we crossed over Yosemite National Park, we saw frozen lakes and Half Dome from the air. We landed in Columbia, CA had dinner and then flew back south through the central valley of California at night.

I just switched to Verizon wireless phone and spent the next two weeks at a campground with no service. I couldn't get service at my daughter's home, either. In a final insult, when I could get service there I couldn't pick up my voice mail. This was in California, not Alaska! So, yes, it does depend on where you travel. We've been using AT&T for Louise's cell phone, Sprint for mine and T-Mobile for Internet with the theory that we should surely have one of the three working so we could communicate with family. T-Mobile works well for us for cellular, their service isn't the fastest but we find few places were we can't get service. Sprint was not very good for cell service, the vote is still out on Verizon...

I'm with Wayne, got to have the latest greatest! I have no idea how my step works! When I open the door it comes out. If I start the engine it comes in. If something goes wrong, there is a light on the dash that indicates "Step Out". Magic is wonderful. If I turn on the step switch, it comes out every time I open the door and comes in every time I close the door. So I don't worry about the switch. Open the door and the step goes out and stays out. Start the engine and the step comes in. It works for me! Now if I could ever get this pants and shoes thing down, I'd really be on top of the world!

Talk to Allison about your concerns and see what they say. Anything that is programmed can be reprogrammed. I have had our Allison transmission reprogrammed to adjust for my driving style when we purchased a used motor home. Actually it was deprogrammed and then set to learn mode again. I'm sure they can make an adjustment for tire diameter if need be.

For my money, nothing beats and FMCA Convention! If it is motor homes you want to see, you won't be distracted by dozens of trailers, etc. Check the convention schedule for the coming year. You can attend even if you don't own a motor home. By the way, you meet thousands of motor home enthusiasts who are more than a little willing to talk about their motor home! All this and there are workshops on a wide variety of topics and entertainment. By the way, Neal and Carol, we used to live in the St. Louis area before we bought our motor home!

Green Beaver is on target! We have used the RM Motor Carrier's Atlases for years. The detail is great and the large-scale version is perfect for those of us who find tiny type difficult to read while bumping down the road. They are laminated and will last longer than you want to keep them. We still go back to the large scale version that is several years old for detail we can't get in the regular version. This all being said, today I put the computer with MS Streets and Trips in front of my technophobe wife and I think she will likely not use the maps again. She said something to me yesterday about not having the detailed view of some small town in western Nevada and I thought, "I'll bet the GPS maps would answer that question." So I set everything up for her today. We were in new country, on a route we'd never taken before. She was into the maps on the computer in no time. I could tell she was enjoying the whole "new" process when she started offering me several different routes to save time/distance. She noted all the small side roads that were showing up on the computer. At one point she started reading off all the information on the screen to me and I knew my life would never be the same! Now we have two GPS units, his and hers. It is still good to grab the map for an overview sometimes but nothing beats the detail you can get from GPS maps. Only time will tell if we ever rely on the paper maps like we have in the past! Now, this is the FMCA web site, so I must confess that this summer while traveling with Pipewrenchgrip and Laura they were able to locate Wal-Marts better than our GPS using the FMCA Atlas.

We've had a number of these kinds of queries and if your dealer or E-Bay doesn't help, check the RV salvage shops. There are several entries among these posts (use the search feature) that give references for RV salvage. Some of these salvage yards specialize in manuals and documentation. They do ship across the country so you wouldn't have to be near one to get satisfactory results.

I've never had to worry about the seals on my windows. I hand wash the motor home frequently and always check to see how the seals look. I'm on top of any evidence of water leakage and have never seen any evidence of leaks around the windows. I did have an awning that wasn't sealed properly when it was factory installed. It took some searching to find that leak but we eventually got it. I've had an air conditioner leak but we seem to have that taken care of as well. Recently we had the satellite dish replaced and when it rained we had water dripping from the crank-up antenna. I took off the dish and caulked generously and everything has been dry since. We just came through a 3" rain in California so I'm pretty confident that for now everything is tight. It's an ongoing battle though. You have to be ever vigilant, always on the look out for the next leak. If I were to caulk the windows, I would talk to the dealer or an RV repair shop to get their recommendation for the best kind of caulk to use on your surfaces and then purchase the best quality you can get your hands on. Clean all surfaces carefully and the apply the caulk with the hope that I wouldn't have to do this every year. You should be able to get four or five years out of a good caulking job if not more. When the caulking starts to show signs of wearing or coming loose, I'd begin a systematic replacement of the caulk, two or three windows one year, another two or three the next year, etc.

Thanks Bill, Yes, deserts can be hot but they can also be cold. There are usually periods of time when they are comfortable. For the southwest US, that time is usually the spring and fall. Like much of that area, there are days in the winter when temperatures are quite comfortable. Sun is usually a given so be prepared with sun screen and bring water. We didn't have our 4 wheel drive Trailblazer when we visited Joshua Tree but there were roads there that were suitable for them. More so in some of the deserts I'll describe in coming installments. Louise's computer died so my work is cut out for me, working on reviving it instead of blogging. The word for two or more of those spiny things is cacti.

We have our wine glasses hanging from an overhead rack in the top space of the pantry. Every other one is wrapped in the sponge/non-slip material. The front one in each row is unwrapped and easy to access. If we need more then we have to start unwrapping. We have eliminated most of our glass tumblers and use plastic now. These are stacked between the glass coffee mugs thus separating the glass items. We now have completely gone to plastic plates and bowls but before that we used the non-slip material between each one.

I got a complete set for our rig from our motor home manufacturer before Monaco went bankrupt. I understand that the parts department is back up and running again under the new Monaco LLC/Navistar Corporation. If you have a Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Safari or Beaver you might try contacting them. I have the following contact for Monaco LLC: 877 4Monaco (877-466-6226). If you don't have a Monaco, you might try your manufacturer or give Atwood a call. You will need to know how many you need for the right side and left side of the motor home. They're cheap, I'd order extras. I have a bad history of snagging them when washing windows or hitting them with a wash brush! They break really easily, more so as they age.

Greg and Diana, Welcome to FMCA! I have no experience with either company. I would be cautious about a no inspection warranty, look for exclusions or exclusion periods within such a contract. I would consider the inspection process to be an advantage for you because it establishes their assessment of the condition of the coach which should reduce any hedging on a claim. Also, if they refuse you because of the inspection they should be able to tell you what areas they were concerned with. That could give you a chance to fix some problems before they become serious or cause an emergency condition or repair. Be aware that some shops will refuse to work with some warranty companies. You may find yourself in a situation where you have to pay for the repair up front to later be reimbursed by the warranty company. In such a case, be sure you and preferably the repair shop discuss the repair with the warranty company before any work is done. You could check with local RV, chassis and Cummins shops to find out if they have experience with either company and how they would feel about working with those companies. Examine any contract for conditions such as extreme maintenance schedules. We had an extended warranty contract that specified oil changes more frequently than Cummins recommendations. You have to abide by their conditions to keep your contract in effect and you have to keep paperwork to prove your compliance.

Wayne, If you check the bottom of the Forum page, you can see who is online at any given time. I just checked and it shows the following activity as I write this post. 33 guests, 5 members, 0 anonymous members TBUTLER, Google.com, Rosco, wolfe10, -Gramps-, mikev Note Google.com, anyone can view the forum. Visitors may comment to FMCA under the Home tab on the home page (look for the menu choice - Contact FMCA). Visitors of course can't log onto the site and take part in the Forum discussions until they register. Visitors are a great source of potential members for FMCA. This makes the forum a win-win situation. We discuss and solve problems, FMCA draws in thousands of contacts that could "discover" FMCA and motorhoming. It is good for all of us. It does, however, mean that anything we put on here is available to anyone who pops in to take a look. This is true for the photos and blogs as well. For those with sticks and bricks homes, leaving real-time information about their travels could expose their homes while they are away. Other personal information, e-mail address, full name, etc. could also be used by sinister characters, so be cautious about what you put in the public domain. I have known this since I signed on and assumed that others did also. Perhaps it should be clearly posted somewhere in the sign-up process.

Brian, I am logged on until I don't check in for several days and then I'll have to log on again. I haven't probed exactly what that time period is but it is on the order of days. If you aren't on the FMCA web site for an extended period, you will be logged off. I use a T-Mobile air card or Wi-Fi for my access so don't think it is switching back and forth from one form of access to another. My browser is Firefox and I use no special means to maintain a connection when I am on line.

I hope your other commitments aren't too serious. We'll be waiting for your return. Bon Voyage Seajay!

Mike, Our large slide rides on the rack and pinion gear which is on the lower portion of a 2" x 2" beam so when it is lubricated, I am lubricating the supporting mechanism. This beam rides on a set of rollers. Our smaller bedroom slide rides on rollers. The rollers can be lubricated but there is no need to lubricate the slide itself. If your slide has areas that support it that are not on rollers, then you may have to lubricate those areas. I think Wayne has the right idea about the lubricant, you want a dry lubricant so you won't have an accumulation of dust and dirt. I use the commercial slide out lube and haven't had any problem with the accumulation of dirt and debris.

As a classroom teacher, I learned quite quickly that general correction of a group was very ineffective. The best way to change behavior is to direct comments to the greatest offender. When that person stops their inappropriate behavior it dampens the inappropriate behavior of the rest of the group. If messages are inappropriate, then I agree, when they are removed the sender should be notified and an explanation given. Specific information will always help us know what the bounds are and when we are seen to be pushing those limits. Some will take such criticism personally but most of us are adults and can take correction without resentment. JMHO Tom Butler

Jack and Peg, We didn't spend much time in Maine this time through, just three days. We were traveling with another couple and their focus was Canada. We love Maine and have enjoyed much of the state in the past. Haven't been to Bath but I'm sure we'll get there some day. We do know where Alamo Palms is, we winter in Edinburg about 15 miles north of there. We are through Alamo on the way to and from other areas. When we sold our household goods and furniture, it really brought home how worthless most of our stuff ultimately was. It makes me look at merchandise a little differently when we are considering buying something. One strategy that I heard a full timer describe when we first hit the road was to put a sticker on everything you put in the RV and then take the sticker off when you used it. At the end of a year anything with a sticker goes. They followed that with the axiom that if you really need something you can find at Wal-Mart! The winter may not be as long as you suspect. When you are busy and anticipating some life event, time flies. I think the summer will arrive very quickly for you and you'll find yourself walking out the door to the motor home before you know it. Enjoy the journey.

Wow, a freebie! Great idea, I tried it with Louise but she started dancing. I think we need to work on it more!

Welcome Mr. McGoo! We're headed for Phoenix but will be high balling it through town headed for Tucson and then to Texas. For an interesting food stop, visit Alice Cooper's Restaurant near the stadium in Phoenix. Good food, nothing fancy, and a fun place to stop. Another favorite place we like to stop is the Bucket of Blood Saloon in Virginia City, NV. There is a band that plays there frequently, David John and the Comstock Cowboys have some great old west tunes. You'll love the saloon girls also! How long have you been full time? Share a few of your favorite restaurants with the rest of us. We might enjoy discovering a few of your favorites... Safe travels.

I'm going to add just a couple of items. First of all, the information about the pressure for the tires is correct, inflate them to the maximum pressure allowed for the tires or the rims. You can only go as high as the lower of these two pressures. Taking some weight off the tires by using the motor home jacks or jacking the axles will allow the tires to be in a more nearly perfectly round shape. Concrete is not a bad material to park on but wood (boards or plywood), plastic (a friend of ours bought a set of six cutting boards at Wal-Mart) or cardboard would all help. I've heard of using truck mudflaps for parking pads and there are also specific parking pads sold by some suppliers. The important thing here is to be certain that the full contact of the tire on the surface is supported by whatever pad you use under the tires. Do not let part of the tire contact with the surface hang off an edge. One of the worst surfaces for storing tires is asphalt. The petroleum base of the asphalt will attack the contact surface of the tire. Finally, a common source of ozone is electric motors. If the area where you are storing your motor home is in an enclosed space that has electric motors there will be elevated ozone levels which will attack the tire surfaces. There may be other spark producing equipment that produce ozone, anything which produces an electrical spark will produce ozone.

Seajay, What are you doing in Denver? I'll bet you are enjoying the great weather you've had lately! I hear that you can get helium balloons there, the big kind. With enough of them you could float your rig over the Rockies! You might even get on the national news media if you pick up some young kid! By the way, Louise knows how to keep the propane tank full. She asks me about once a week, more often if the furnace runs at night. When she asks, she has this sound in her voice that lets me know that I'm on thin ice! I report that our tank is at 50% and she says we should fill it... again. I have to admit that we did run out of propane one time. It was our first trip as full timers. We decided to stay for the month of December in Borne, TX, just north of San Antonio. We had a great stay, drove the toad back to Missouri for Christmas, returned went out for New Years Eve on the River Walk. We had a wonderful time, ate dinner at a restaurant along the River Walk (they provided lap blankets to keep us warm). We danced to the music of several bands and enjoyed the fireworks at midnight over the Tower of the Americas. That night after we got home the furnace finally used the last gasp of propane so we woke up with the temperature in the motor home in the 40's. That was our last night we had paid for at the park so we filled the propane on the way out of the park and then headed as far south in Texas as we could go! When we got to Edinburg, Texas, Louise was finally warm so we stopped at a park there and have been there every winter since. If Louise hadn't been warm at Edinburg, we'd probably have gone to Mexico or Belize or somewhere south of there!!! I haven't let the tank run out since. Lesson learned. So you are rebuilding your rig, one piece at a time. Aren't we all. I hope you get a good repair and are on the road soon. We're leaving California in a week headed for... Edinburg, Texas. I've got a tennis tournament waiting. Temperatures in the 80's and sunshine end to end. Safe and warm travels sailor.